The kind of industrial battery that you choose will have an important effect on your company’s overall effectiveness especially when you’re a business owner or manager who is dependent on electricity forks to operate their business. All across the long term, much money and time may be saved by selecting a sort of electric forklift battery that suits company requirements. Here are a few tips that help to choose the best Forklift battery for your business:
Forklift Battery Types
The following – and most essential – consideration is choosing what size forklift battery is suitable with the vehicle(s), and what kind of electric forklift battery technology should be used like lithium and lead-acid forklift batteries. In general, commercial forklifts are powered by one of the two primary battery types:
The great majority of commercial electric forklifts utilize lead acid or lithium-ion technology, especially where propane, diesel, or gas power are used. The technology underlying each of these industrial batteries varies significantly and hence has a distinct effect on the efficiency of the forklift.
Lead-acid
Lead-acid batteries are known as the old-school standard for power forklift batteries. It is a large, fluid unit, with a detachable top that generates energy through a chemical platform and sulfuric acid reaction. It is a technique from 1859 that continually refills the units with water (which is also necessary for the electricity-generating chemical processes happening within).
lithium-ion
Lithium-ion batteries are a newer technique, utilized in a commercial product for the first time in the early 1990s. There are numerous distinct chemistries in lithium-ion batteries. Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) is one of the most common chemicals in the material handling sector.
Forklift Battery’s Lifespan
The type of battery you choose will decide how often you need to replace the battery in forklifts. Batteries have a varied lifespan, either it is lead-acid or lithium-ion:
- Lead-acid: cycles of 1000 and 1500
- Lithium-ion: 2.000 to 3.000 cycles
These are averages and might differ depending on the maintenance of the batteries.
There is less need for the replacement of a lithium-ion forklift battery, which is the primary motivation for company owners who prefer it to conventional lead-acid batteries, which have more often to be replaced with new ones.
Pricing of forklift batteries
A lead-acid battery is a better investment than a lithium-ion forklift battery if they are used on the surface. If you were only looking at the initial battery purchase cost, that would be accurate.
However, the total cost of ownership between lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries may differ when it is estimated by prudent managers and supervisors. So consult them before buying.
