The electric lift truck is generally the best alternative for indoor use within manufacturing and warehousing settings. This is mainly because of 2 reasons with the first being that they create zero emissions. This is a very essential factor to consider for indoor work places. Among the Internal Combustion or IC units, only the propane-fueled models can be utilized indoors and these units still require really good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered units could not be utilized indoors under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary advantage of electric forklifts. These models have lower cost per hour compared to any of the other internal combustion or IC units. Amongst the main drawbacks to the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric forklifts could vary from 20% to 40 percent more compared to IC models that are similarly rated.
Electric lift trucks however, provide many advantages such as quiet operations, that can be a huge plus for indoor environments. In addition, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are both flammable and dangerous. Since electric lift trucks have less moving parts as opposed to internal combustion models, and they are normally utilized within cleaner environments and indoors, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric forklifts biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The big and really heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat like those now found inside automobiles. These batteries are extremely large and extremely powerful. Usually, batteries provide sufficient power for one standard 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous utilization.
Charging a lift truck battery will take around 8 hours. An additional 8 hours of cooling time is required before it can be utilized after the charging process is completed. Due to this long method of additional cooling time and slow charging speed, if you require lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must purchase additional batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries will add around $1000 to $2000 to buy.
On the market these days, there are a few new fast charge electric lift trucks. These fast charge batteries have changed the industry of electric forklifts. Their charging could be done during the course of lunch and coffee breaks, allowing them to return to work much sooner.