Normally, electric forklifts are the best alternative for indoor use in manufacturing and warehousing applications for 2 main reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is a very important factor to consider for indoor work places. Out of the IC or internal combustion units, just the propane-fueled models could be utilized indoors and these units still require extremely good ventilation. Models which work on diesel and gas are not able to be used inside under any circumstances.
The primary advantage of electric forklifts is fuel expenses. Compared to internal combustion or IC models, these have less costs per hour. Among the main disadvantages to the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric lift trucks can vary from 20% to 40 percent more compared to IC models that are rated the same.
Electric lift trucks on the other hand, offer numerous benefits such as quiet operations, that could be a huge plus for indoor settings. Moreover, no fuel storage requirements mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are flammable and dangerous. Since electric lift trucks have less moving components than IC units, and they are normally utilized in cleaner settings and indoors, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric lift trucks biggest downside is the batteries downtime. The large and really heavy, lead acid batteries are quite similar to the ones now found in cars. These batteries are really strong and extremely big. Usually, batteries provide a sufficient amount of power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of nonstop use.
Charging a lift truck battery will take approximately 8 hours. An additional 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it can be used after the charging process is completed. Due to this long process of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you need forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you would have to purchase additional batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries would add about $1000 to $2000 to buy.
There are some new fast charge electric lift trucks on the market. These specialized batteries have revolutionized the electric lift truck business. Their charging can be completed in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, enabling them to get back to work much faster.