Generally, electric lift trucks are the most ideal alternative for indoor use within warehouses and manufacturing applications for 2 main reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is a really important factor to consider for indoor work places. Among the IC or internal combustion models, just the propane-fueled units can be utilized inside and these models still require really good ventilation. Units that work on gas and diesel are not able to be utilized inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary advantage of electric lift trucks. These units have lower cost per hour as opposed to any of the other IC or internal combustion models. One of the main disadvantages to utilizing the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric forklifts could vary from 20 percent to 40% more than IC units which are rated the same.
On the other hand, electric forklifts offer numerous advantages like quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor operations. Additionally, no need for fuel storage mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are dangerous and flammable. As electric lift trucks have less parts that move than IC units, and they are usually utilized within cleaner settings and inside, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The electric lift trucks biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The big and very heavy, lead acid batteries are quite like those now found in automobiles. These batteries are very big and very strong. Usually, batteries provide enough power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous utilization.
Originally, charging a forklift battery takes roughly 8 hours. After the charging process is completed, an additional 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it could be utilized. Because of this long method of additional cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should buy additional batteries so you can always be charging the next battery. These additional batteries would add approximately $1000 to $2000 to the acquisition price.
On the market today, there are some new fast charge electric forklifts. These fast charge batteries have changed the business of electric forklifts. Their charging could be completed during the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to get back to work much faster.