Normally, electric forklifts are the most ideal choice for indoor use within warehouses and manufacturing applications for 2 major reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely vital factor to consider for indoor work places. Out of the Internal Combustion or IC units, only the propane-fueled models could be used indoors and these models still require extremely good ventilation. Models which work on gas and diesel can not be used inside under any circumstances.
The primary advantage of electric forklifts is fuel expenses. Compared to IC or internal combustion units, these have less costs per hour. Among the main drawbacks to using the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric forklifts can range from 20% to 40 percent more compared to internal combustion models which are similarly rated.
However, electric forklifts offer numerous advantages like quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor applications. In addition, no fuel storage requirements mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of dangerous and flammable fuels. Because electric forklifts have less moving parts as opposed to IC models, and they are typically used within cleaner environments and inside, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric forklifts biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The large and really heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat like the ones now found inside cars. These batteries are very strong and really big. Usually, batteries offer enough power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of nonstop utilization.
Originally, charging a lift truck battery takes about 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an additional 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it could be utilized. Due to this long method of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you need forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should purchase additional batteries so you can be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries will add approximately $1000 to $2000 to the acquisition price.
There are some new fast charge electric forklifts on the market. These specialized batteries have changed the electric forklift industry. Their charging can be done during the course of coffee and lunch breaks, enabling them to return to work much sooner.