Generally, electric lift trucks are the best option for indoor use within manufacturing and warehousing operations for 2 key reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely essential factor to consider for indoor work places. Out of the IC or internal combustion models, only the propane-fueled units could be used indoors and these units still need extremely good ventilation. Models which run on diesel and gas can not be utilized indoors under any circumstances.
The main benefit of electric lift trucks is fuel costs. Compared to internal combustion or IC models, these have lower costs per hour. Amongst the main disadvantages to the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric forklifts can range from 20 percent to 40 percent more compared to internal combustion models that are similarly rated.
However, electric lift trucks provide many benefits like quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor operations. Moreover, no fuel storage needs mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. As electric lift trucks have less components that move compared to IC units, and they are typically utilized inside and in cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The battery downtime is the biggest downside of an electric lift truck. These units function with heavy, big, lead-acid batteries, like those found in your automobile. These batteries are really strong and extremely big. Usually, batteries provide sufficient power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Originally, charging a lift truck battery takes about 8 hours. After the charging process is completed, an additional 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be used. Because of this long process of slow charging speed and additional cooling time, 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 will add approximately $1000 to $2000 to buy.
On the market nowadays, there are several new fast charge electric forklifts. These fast charge batteries have changed the industry of electric forklifts. Their charging could be done in the course of coffee and lunch breaks, allowing them to return to work much sooner.