Generally, electric lift trucks are the best choice for indoor use within manufacturing and warehousing applications for 2 major reasons: First off they create zero emissions. This is an extremely important factor to take into account for indoor work places. Out of the Internal Combustion or IC models, just the propane-fueled units can be utilized inside and these units still require extremely good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered models are not able to be used indoors under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary benefit of electric forklifts. These models have lower cost per hour as opposed to any of the other internal combustion or IC units. One of the main disadvantages to the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. Brand new electric forklifts could range from 20% to 40 percent more compared to internal combustion units which are rated the same.
Electric forklifts on the other hand, offer numerous advantages such as quiet operations, that can be a huge plus for indoor settings. Additionally, no fuel storage needs mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. As electric forklifts have less parts that move than IC models, and they are usually utilized indoors and in cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric forklifts biggest downside is the batteries downtime. The large and really heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat like those now found inside automobiles. These batteries are extremely large and really strong. Typically, batteries provide sufficient power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous utilization.
Originally, charging a forklift battery takes around 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be utilized. Due to this long method of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you need forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must buy extra batteries so you could always be charging the next battery. These additional batteries will add about $1000 to $2000 to buy.
On the market these days, there are several new fast charge electric lift trucks. These fast charge batteries have changed the industry of electric lift trucks. Their charging could be completed in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, enabling them to return to work much sooner.