The electric lift truck is usually the most ideal alternative for indoor operations within manufacturing and warehousing settings. This is mostly because of 2 reasons with the first being that they produce zero emissions. This is a really important factor to consider for indoor work places. Among the IC or internal combustion units, just the propane-fueled units could be utilized indoors and these models still need extremely good ventilation. Units that work on diesel and gas are not able to be utilized inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary benefit of electric forklifts. These models have lower cost per hour compared to any of the other IC or internal combustion units. Amongst the main drawbacks to using the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric lift trucks can range from 20 percent to 40 percent more compared to internal combustion units that are similarly rated.
Electric forklifts however, offer numerous advantages like quiet operations, that could be a big plus for indoor settings. In addition, no need for fuel storage mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of dangerous and flammable fuels. Because electric forklifts have less moving parts than internal combustion units, and they are normally utilized indoors and within cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric lift trucks biggest downside is the batteries downtime. The large and really heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat similar to those now found in cars. These batteries are very strong and extremely big. Usually, batteries offer sufficient power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of nonstop use.
Initially, charging a lift truck battery takes roughly 8 hours. After the charging process is completed, an extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be used. Because of this long method of extra cooling time and slow charging speed, if you require lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should purchase additional batteries so you could always be charging the next battery. These extra batteries would add roughly $1000 to $2000 to the purchase price.
On the market nowadays, there are several new fast charge electric lift trucks. These fast charge batteries have changed the business of electric forklifts. Their charging could be completed during the course of coffee and lunch breaks, enabling them to get back to work much faster.