Generally, electric forklifts are the most ideal option for indoor use within warehouses and manufacturing applications for 2 major reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is a very essential factor to take into account for indoor work places. Among the Internal Combustion or IC models, only the propane-fueled models can be utilized inside and these models still need really good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered models are not able to be used inside under any circumstances.
The main benefit of electric lift trucks is fuel costs. Compared to IC or internal combustion models, these have less costs per hour. One of the main drawbacks to using the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric lift trucks could vary from 20% to 40% more compared to internal combustion units that are rated the same.
However, electric forklifts offer numerous advantages including quiet operation. This is a big plus for indoor applications. In addition, no fuel storage requirements mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. Since electric forklifts have less moving components compared to IC units, and they are usually used inside and in cleaner settings, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric lift trucks biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The large and really heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat similar to the ones now found inside cars. These batteries are very large and really strong. Usually, batteries provide enough power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of nonstop use.
Originally, charging a lift truck battery takes around 8 hours. After the charging process is completed, an extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be utilized. Due to this long process of additional cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must buy additional batteries so you can be charging the nest battery always. These extra batteries will add about $1000 to $2000 to the acquisition price.
On the market nowadays, there are a few new fast charge electric lift trucks. These fast charge batteries have revolutionized the industry of electric forklifts. Their charging can be completed during the course of coffee and lunch breaks, enabling them to get back to work a lot sooner.