Lithium-ion Electric Forklifts, The Best Option for Indoor and Warehouse Applications
In the material handling industry, your working environment often determines the type of machinery needed. Factors like air quality, noise, available space, and duty cycle can all determine the size, fuel type, and overall power of your desired lift.
If your operation is indoors, it’s important to consider the upside of using Lithium-ion electric forklifts to get the most out of each day.
Zero Emissions for Closed-Off Spaces
When working indoors, you have to account for gases given off while operating your lift. If your indoor operation still relies heavily on I.C. Forklifts or Lead-Acid powered electric forklifts, it may be time to switch to Lithium-ion.
Internal combustion engines, which are common in forklifts, use standard diesel fuel to power the engine, producing harmful chemicals like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and other dangerous chemicals. Likewise, lifts powered by lead-acid batteries will also release dangerous emissions due to their battery design.
Electric forklifts, made with Lithium-ion batteries, give off zero emissions. The chemistry is also stable and won’t react with the environment if the casing were to be punctured. By not releasing any emissions, Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) powered electric forklifts provide a cleaner and safer operating environment. This means that operators no longer have to breathe air pollution from I.C. or lead-acid powered forklifts in indoor environments.
Lower Operating Noise
I.C. forklifts are traditionally loud, often compared to a chainsaw or a motorcycle. Prolonged exposure to these noises can possibly cause hearing loss over time.
Lithium-ion battery powered forklifts do not have this issue. The advanced battery management systems and high-quality electric motors result in an extremely low noise level, often below 60 decibels to the ear.
This lower noise level is ideal in indoor applications, taking away the stress, and communicative pressures of an IC engine rumbling around your operation.
Battery Technology and Indoor Charging Advantages
Hangcha Group’s lithium-ion forklifts charge in just two hours. Similar lead-acid powered electric forklifts require 8-10 hours to charge and another 8-10 hours to cool prior to use. The lithium-ion technology also allows for the trucks to run in three-shift environments thanks to opportunity charging. To accomplish this with a lead-acid powered forklift, users must swap batteries. This requires time to change the battery and can lead to injury or operator fatigue. Lithium-ion powered forklifts allow the end-user to run the forklifts for three shifts when paired with opportunity charging and the correct capacity battery pack.
Lithium-ion battery packs do not require the manual maintenance that lead-acid battery packs do. Particularly, lithium-ion batteries do not need to be watered or have acid level checks performed. Because of this, lithium-ion battery packs are virtually maintenance-free.
Power Delivery for Stop-and-Go Warehouse Work
The lithium-ion battery packs found in our forklifts have DOUBLE the energy density of a lead-acid battery that has the same dimensions. The voltage supply is also stable throughout the energy discharge. When dealing with lead-acid forklifts, you experience power loss over time through self-discharge, and will lose about 5% of power each month. Both of these lead to longer run times for the end-user, without sacrificing the performance of your truck.
With the improved battery chemistry, your lift will run stronger for longer. Hangcha batteries are prepared with a Battery Management System (BMS) to continually monitor the lithium-ion cells and other vital components. It offers overcharge/over-discharge protection, fault monitoring, battery health estimates, battery current/voltage detection, and a low cost/low power consumption feature.
These simple features, that come standard in a Hangcha Lithium-ion battery pack, are the most reliable energy option available.
Finding the Right Forkift for You
Before deciding between an electric or an I.C forklift, it’s important to keep your working environment in mind. An electric, Lithium-ion powered forklift may be the best option when considering noise, air quality, space, and duty cycle. If you’re considering going electric, take a look at Hangcha’s full line of Lithium-ion powered lifts, and see if one can improve your warehouse operations.