Generally, electric forklifts are the most ideal choice for indoor use within warehouses and manufacturing applications for 2 major reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely important factor to consider for indoor work places. Among the Internal Combustion or IC models, only the propane-fueled models could be used indoors and these models still need really good ventilation. Diesel and gas powered units are not able to be utilized inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other primary advantage of electric forklifts. These units have lower cost per hour as opposed to any of the other internal combustion or IC models. One of the main disadvantages to using the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. Brand new electric lift trucks can range from 20 percent to 40 percent more compared to internal combustion units which are similarly rated.
However, electric lift trucks provide many benefits like quiet operation. This is a huge plus for indoor operations. Moreover, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of dangerous and flammable fuels. As electric forklifts have less moving components than IC units, and they are typically used inside and within cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The electric forklifts biggest downside is the batteries downtime. The large and very heavy, lead acid batteries are quite similar to those now found inside cars. These batteries are very powerful and extremely big. Usually, batteries provide sufficient power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous use.
Initially, charging a forklift battery takes approximately 8 hours. After the charging process is done, an additional 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it can be used. Due to this long process of slow charging speed and additional cooling time, if you need forklifts for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must buy additional batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries will add about $1000 to $2000 to buy.
There are some new fast charge electric forklifts on the market. These specialized batteries have revolutionized the electric lift truck industry. Their charging can be done during the course of lunch and coffee breaks, enabling them to return to work much faster.