Electric forklifts: clean and quiet for indoor use

Jeremy Sacco
BuyerZone.com Editorial Staff

Electric forklifts are really the best choice for warehouses, manufacturing applications, and other indoor use, for two primary reasons.

One is that they produce zero emissions -- if you are going to be using your lift truck indoors, this is a very important consideration. Of the internal combustion models, only propane-fueled lifts can be used indoors, and they still require very good ventilation. Gas and diesel-powered models can't be used inside at all.

The other primary advantage is fuel cost. Electric forklifts have a lower cost per hour of operation than any of the internal combustion (IC) models. This helps to offset one of their disadvantages - their higher initial cost. New electric forklifts can cost 20% to 40% more than similarly-rated IC forklifts.

Additional advantages of an electric forklift include quieter operation - another big indoor advantage - and no fuel storage requirements. Because they have fewer moving parts and are often used in cleaner environments than IC trucks, they also tend to have a longer lifespan.

The biggest downside of an electric forklift is the battery downtime. Electric forklifts are powered by large, heavy, lead-acid batteries - the same kind found in your car, but considerably larger and more powerful. The batteries typically provide enough power for one standard eight-hour shift, which translates into 5 or 6 hours of constant usage.

Charging a forklift battery takes 8 hours, plus an additional 8 hours of cooling time before it can be used. Due to this slow charging speed, if you need forklifts for two or three-shift operations, you will have to buy extra batteries so you can always be charging the next one, adding $1,000 to $2,000 to the purchase price.

Other disadvantages include the need for a battery charging station. The chargers should be located in a dry, ventilated, and temperature-controlled location. If you have multiple batteries, you will also need special cranes to change the batteries. Electric forklifts are also not suited for outdoor use - while you can use them on a well-paved parking lot, they can't be used in the rain.

Compare to internal combustion (IC) forklifts.

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