The electric forklift is normally the best alternative for indoor use within warehouses and manufacturing environments. This is mainly due to 2 reasons with the first being that 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, just the propane-fueled models can be utilized inside and these units still require extremely good ventilation. Models that run on diesel and gas are not able to be used inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other main advantage of electric lift trucks. These units have less cost per hour as opposed to any of the other IC or internal combustion models. Among the main disadvantages to the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. New electric lift trucks could vary from 20 percent to 40 percent more compared to internal combustion models that are similarly rated.
On the other hand, electric lift trucks offer numerous advantages including quiet operation. This is a big plus for indoor operations. Additionally, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are both flammable and dangerous. As electric lift trucks have less components that move than IC models, and they are typically used inside and in cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The electric forklifts biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The large and very heavy, lead acid batteries are quite similar to those now found in cars. These batteries are extremely big and really powerful. Normally, batteries offer sufficient power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Charging a lift truck battery will take approximately 8 hours. An extra 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it can be used after the charging process is completed. Because of this long method of additional cooling time and slow charging speed, if you require forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must buy extra batteries so you could always be charging the next battery. These extra batteries will add approximately $1000 to $2000 to the purchase price.
There are a few new fast charge electric forklifts available on the market. These specialized batteries have changed the electric lift truck industry. Their charging could be completed in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to return to work much faster.