Normally, electric lift trucks are the best option for indoor use in manufacturing and warehousing operations for 2 main reasons: First off they create zero emissions. This is a very vital factor to consider for indoor work places. Amongst the Internal Combustion or IC models, just the propane-fueled units can be used indoors and these models still need extremely good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered units are not able to be used indoors under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other main advantage of electric lift trucks. These units have less cost per hour compared to any of the other internal combustion or IC units. One of the main disadvantages to the electric forklifts is their higher initial expense. Brand new electric lift trucks could vary from 20% to 40% more than internal combustion units which are similarly rated.
Electric lift trucks on the other hand, offer many advantages such as quiet operations, that could be a big plus for indoor settings. Moreover, no requirement for fuel storage mean no room has to be allotted for tanks of fuels that are flammable and dangerous. Since electric forklifts have less moving parts compared to internal combustion units, and they are usually used in cleaner environments and indoors, 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 quite similar to those now found inside cars. These batteries are extremely powerful and really large. Typically, batteries offer an adequate amount of power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this translates into 5 or 6 hours of nonstop utilization.
Originally, charging a forklift battery takes around 8 hours. After the charging process is completed, an extra 8 hours of cooling time is needed before it can be used. Due to this long method of extra cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you should purchase additional batteries so you could be charging the nest battery always. These additional batteries would add about $1000 to $2000 to purchase.
There are some new fast charge electric lift trucks on the market. These specialized batteries have revolutionized the electric lift truck business. Their charging can be completed in the course of coffee and lunch breaks, allowing them to get back to work much sooner.