The electric lift truck is generally the most ideal choice for indoor use within warehouses and manufacturing environments. This is mainly because of 2 reasons with the first being that they produce zero emissions. This is a very vital factor to consider for indoor work places. Amongst the IC or internal combustion models, only the propane-fueled units are able to be utilized indoors and these units still require extremely good ventilation. Diesel and gas powered models can not be utilized indoors under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary advantage of electric forklifts. These models have less cost per hour compared to any of the other IC or internal combustion models. Amongst the main drawbacks to using the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric forklifts could vary from 20% to 40 percent more than internal combustion units which are similarly rated.
On the other hand, electric lift trucks offer many benefits including quiet operation. This is a big plus for indoor applications. In addition, no fuel storage needs mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are flammable and dangerous. Because electric forklifts have less moving parts as opposed to internal combustion units, and they are typically used in cleaner environments and indoors, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The electric lift trucks biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The large and really heavy, lead acid batteries are quite like the ones now found in cars. These batteries are very big and really powerful. Usually, batteries provide enough power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Charging a lift truck battery will take approximately 8 hours. An additional 8 hours of cooling time is required before it can be used after the charging process is completed. Due to this long method of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you require lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should purchase additional batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These extra batteries will add approximately $1000 to $2000 to buy.
There are some new fast charge electric lift trucks available on the market. These specialized batteries have changed the electric forklift industry. Their charging can be done in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, enabling them to get back to work much sooner.