Roughly 60 percent of the forklift market is made up by electric forklift models. These units get their power from heavy, huge lead-acid batteries that give the machine it's counterweight in order to prevent it from tipping over.
According to the ITA, electric counterbalanced lift trucks are considered Class 1 lift trucks. Class 1 is the category which covers all stand-up counterbalanced trucks and other electric forklifts. Although the initial investment when purchasing an electric lift truck is more than an internal combustion or IC lift truck, electric forklifts are a lot less expensive to operate and run in the long-run. This is due to lower fuel and maintenance costs, in comparison to the IC units.
The majority of the electric rider forklift trucks shipped in North America is designed for moving material inside. They are usually used in warehousing applications, and retail spaces. The electric models are the right option for inside applications as they make less noise and emit zero toxic emissions.
The battery of an electric forklift can run on average for 8 hours or for one shift. The reloading, recharging and removing batteries which weigh upwards of 3000 pounds can be hard and time consuming. This cumbersome job usually needs a dedicated space for handling the battery. Then again, new fast charging technologies are being utilized to change the procedure and update this process to be able to accomplish it in a much faster way.
Fast charging technologies are considered the best charging technologies. It has revolutionized electric model forklifts and the time it takes to charge their batteries. The material handling business experts, state that these new developments in the battery technology and battery charging systems can reduce charging time by as much as 50%!
IC or Internal Combustion Counterbalanced Lift Trucks
The IC powered lift truck would rely on kinds of fuels, like LPG or liquid propane gas, diesel, CNG or compressed natural gas and gasoline. The bigger forklifts are normally utilized outdoors. Usually, these units operate on gas or diesel and uses pneumatic or air-filled tires so as to make them suitable for steep slopes and rough terrain, as opposed to cushion tires. Cushion tires are more suitable for indoor applications and smooth services because they are made from solid rubber.
The LPG unit is the most common fuel choice for indoor trucks. Nowadays, there are more than 600,000 propane-filled lift trucks working all around the world. These units provide various advantages. For instance, propane-fueled lift trucks maintain 100% consistent power during operation. Furthermore, these units offer faster ground speeds than other power sources.