Normally, electric forklifts are the best option for indoor use in manufacturing and warehousing applications for 2 main reasons: First off they produce zero emissions. This is an extremely important factor to consider for indoor work places. Out of the Internal Combustion or IC units, only the propane-fueled models can be used indoors and these models still need really good ventilation. Gas and diesel powered models are not able to be used inside under any circumstances.
Fuel cost is the other main benefit of electric lift trucks. These units have lower cost per hour as opposed to any of the other IC or internal combustion units. Amongst the main disadvantages to the electric forklifts is their higher initial cost. New electric forklifts could range from 20% to 40% more compared to internal combustion models which are similarly rated.
Electric lift trucks on the other hand, offer many advantages like quiet operations, which can be a big plus for indoor settings. Additionally, no fuel storage needs mean no room needs to be allotted for tanks of dangerous and flammable fuels. As electric forklifts have less moving components than internal combustion models, and they are typically used indoors and within cleaner environments, they tend to have a longer overall lifespan.
The battery downtime is the biggest disadvantage of an electric forklift. These units function with heavy, big, lead-acid batteries, like those found inside your car. These batteries are very strong and really large. Typically, batteries provide a sufficient amount of power for one regular 8-hour shift, and this means 5 or 6 hours of continuous utilization.
Charging a forklift battery will take around 8 hours. An extra 8 hours of cooling time is required before it can be utilized after the charging process is completed. Due to this long process of extra cooling time and slow charging speed, if you need lift trucks for 2 or 3 shift operations, you must buy additional batteries so you could always be charging the next battery. These extra batteries would add approximately $1000 to $2000 to buy.
On the market these days, there are some new fast charge electric lift trucks. These fast charge batteries have revolutionized 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 faster.