Usually, electric forklifts are the most ideal option for indoor use in manufacturing and warehousing applications for 2 major reasons: First off they create zero emissions. This is an extremely important factor to consider for indoor work places. Amongst the IC or internal combustion models, just the propane-fueled models could be utilized indoors and these units still require extremely good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered models are not able to be used inside under any circumstances.
The main advantage of electric lift trucks is fuel costs. Compared to IC or internal combustion models, these have lower costs per hour. One of the main disadvantages to using the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. New electric forklifts could range from 20 percent to 40% more than IC models which are similarly rated.
On the other hand, electric forklifts provide numerous advantages like quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor applications. In addition, no fuel storage requirements mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. Since electric lift trucks have less moving components than IC units, and they are usually used within cleaner environments and inside, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The battery downtime is the biggest downside of an electric forklift. These units run with heavy, large, lead-acid batteries, similar to the ones found in your automobile. These batteries are very large and extremely strong. Typically, batteries provide sufficient power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Charging a forklift battery will take around 8 hours. An additional 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be utilized after the charging process is done. Due to this long process of extra cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you would have to buy additional batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These extra batteries will add approximately $1000 to $2000 to the purchase price.
There are some new fast charge electric forklifts available on the market. These specialized batteries have revolutionized the electric lift truck industry. Their charging can be done during the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to return to work much faster.