Usually, electric forklifts are the best choice for indoor use in warehouses and manufacturing applications for 2 major reasons: First off they create zero emissions. This is a very vital factor to take into account for indoor work places. Out of the Internal Combustion or IC models, only the propane-fueled models are able to be used indoors and these models still need really good ventilation. Diesel and gas powered models are not able to be used indoors under any circumstances.
The primary benefit of electric lift trucks is fuel expenses. As opposed to internal combustion or IC models, these have lower expenses per hour. One of the main drawbacks to using the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric lift trucks could vary from 20 percent to 40 percent more than internal combustion models that are rated the same.
However, electric lift trucks provide many benefits including quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor operations. In addition, no fuel storage requirements mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of dangerous and flammable fuels. As electric forklifts have less moving parts than IC models, and they are typically used indoors and within cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric lift trucks biggest disadvantage is the batteries downtime. The large and very heavy, lead acid batteries are somewhat similar to the ones now found inside automobiles. These batteries are extremely large and very strong. Typically, batteries provide enough power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of continuous utilization.
Charging a forklift battery would take about 8 hours. An extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it could be used after the charging process is done. Due to this long method of slow charging speed and extra cooling time, if you require forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should buy extra batteries so you can always be charging the next battery. These extra batteries will add about $1000 to $2000 to purchase.
On the market today, there are some new fast charge electric forklifts. These fast charge batteries have changed the industry of electric forklifts. Their charging could be done in the course of coffee and lunch breaks, enabling them to return to work a lot faster.