The electric lift truck is normally the best option for indoor use in warehouses and manufacturing environments. This is mostly because of 2 reasons with the first being that they produce zero emissions. This is a really vital factor to take into account for indoor work places. Out of the IC or internal combustion models, only the propane-fueled units could be used indoors and these models still require really good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered units are not able to be utilized indoors under any circumstances.
The primary benefit of electric forklifts is fuel costs. Compared to IC or internal combustion models, these have less costs per hour. Among the main drawbacks to utilizing the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. New electric lift trucks can vary from 20 percent to 40 percent more than IC units which are similarly rated.
Electric lift trucks however, offer numerous advantages like quiet operations, which could be a huge plus for indoor environments. In addition, no need for fuel storage mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of flammable and dangerous fuels. Because electric lift trucks have less moving components as opposed to internal combustion units, and they are usually used inside and in cleaner settings, they tend to have a longer lifespan overall.
The battery downtime is the biggest downside of an electric lift truck. These models run with heavy, big, lead-acid batteries, like those found inside your car. 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.
Originally, charging a lift truck battery takes approximately 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an extra 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it could be utilized. Due to this long method of additional cooling time and slow charging speed, if you require forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should buy additional batteries so you could always be charging the next battery. These extra batteries will add approximately $1000 to $2000 to purchase.
There are some new fast charge electric lift trucks on the market. These specialized batteries have changed the electric forklift business. Their charging can be done in the course of lunch and coffee breaks, enabling them to get back to work much faster.