Usually, electric lift trucks are the best alternative for indoor use in manufacturing and warehousing operations for 2 major reasons: First off they create zero emissions. This is an extremely important factor to take into account for indoor work places. Out of the IC or internal combustion units, just the propane-fueled models can be utilized indoors and these models still need really good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered models could not be used indoors under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other main advantage of electric lift trucks. These models have lower cost per hour compared to any of the other IC or internal combustion models. Amongst the main drawbacks to utilizing the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. New electric forklifts can range from 20% to 40 percent more compared to internal combustion models that are rated the same.
On the other hand, electric forklifts provide numerous benefits like quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor operations. Furthermore, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. Since electric lift trucks have less moving parts compared to internal combustion units, and they are normally used within cleaner settings and indoors, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric lift trucks biggest downside is the batteries downtime. The large and very heavy, lead acid batteries are quite like those now found in cars. These batteries are very large and very powerful. Typically, batteries provide a sufficient amount of power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this means 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 utilized. Because of this long process of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you require forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should buy additional batteries so you can be charging the nest battery always. These extra batteries will add about $1000 to $2000 to buy.
On the market today, there are some new fast charge electric forklifts. These fast charge batteries have revolutionized the business of electric forklifts. Their charging could be done during the course of coffee and lunch breaks, enabling them to return to work a lot faster.