Generally, electric forklifts are the best choice for indoor use within manufacturing and warehousing operations for 2 main reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely important factor to take into account for indoor work places. Out of the IC or internal combustion models, only the propane-fueled units can be utilized indoors and these units still require really good ventilation. Models which work on diesel and gas are not able to be used inside under any circumstances.
The main benefit of electric lift trucks is fuel expenses. Compared to internal combustion or IC units, these have lower expenses per hour. Amongst the main drawbacks to utilizing the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric lift trucks could range from 20% to 40% more than internal combustion units which are similarly rated.
On the other hand, electric forklifts provide many advantages including quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor applications. Moreover, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. Because electric forklifts have less moving components than IC units, and they are typically used indoors and within cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The battery downtime is the biggest disadvantage of an electric lift truck. These units function with heavy, large, lead-acid batteries, like those found in your car. These batteries are extremely strong and really large. Usually, batteries offer enough power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous utilization.
Charging a lift truck battery will take around 8 hours. An extra 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it can be utilized after the charging process is done. Because of this long method of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you require lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must purchase additional batteries so you could always be charging the next battery. These additional batteries would add about $1000 to $2000 to buy.
On the market nowadays, there are some new fast charge electric lift trucks. These fast charge batteries have revolutionized the business of electric lift trucks. Their charging can be completed during the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to get back to work much sooner.