Usually, electric lift trucks are the most ideal choice for indoor use within warehouses and manufacturing operations for 2 key reasons: First off they create zero emissions. This is an extremely essential factor to consider for indoor work places. Among the IC or internal combustion units, just the propane-fueled models could be used inside and these models still require really good ventilation. Models which run on gas and diesel are not able to be used inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other main advantage of electric lift trucks. These units have lower cost per hour compared to any of the other IC or internal combustion units. One of the main drawbacks to the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric forklifts can range from 20 percent to 40 percent more compared to IC units that are similarly rated.
Electric forklifts on the other hand, provide numerous benefits such as quiet operations, that could be a big plus for indoor settings. Moreover, no fuel storage needs mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are both dangerous and flammable. As electric forklifts have less moving parts than internal combustion units, and they are typically utilized inside and within cleaner settings, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The electric forklifts biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The big and very heavy, lead acid batteries are quite similar to those now found inside cars. These batteries are really powerful and really large. Usually, batteries offer enough power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of nonstop utilization.
Initially, charging a forklift battery takes about 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an additional 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it can be used. Due to this long process of extra cooling time and slow charging speed, if you require lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should buy extra batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries would add approximately $1000 to $2000 to the acquisition price.
On the market today, there are a few new fast charge electric forklifts. These fast charge batteries have revolutionized the industry of electric forklifts. Their charging can be done during the course of lunch and coffee breaks, enabling them to return to work a lot sooner.