Fueling & Powering Of Forklift

Fueling and powering the forklift is a matter of consideration. There are mainly two options for powering the forklift, one is electrical and other is internal combustion.

Electrical Forklifts

In electrical forklift battery is used. These batteries are just like car batteries but these are large size and heavy batteries. Generally one battery provides sufficient power for an 8 hour shift. These batteries are used internally. Using these batteries provide tremendous benefits.

These batteries produce zero emission hence no threat of flaming. Fuel cost is also very less. Although at initial level you pay higher price but after charging the battery is the only expense. Normally 16 hours are required to charge a one battery which means it is difficult to work with one battery. So to use these types of models at least there should be two batteries. It will incur more initial cost. Moreover as these batteries are heavy so special cranes are needed to change these batteries. So these models are suitable for those who have sufficient budget to purchase batteries. These models are not much speedy so if speed will consider then electrical forklifts are not good choice. One more things is electrical forklift are suitable for warehouse operation but not good for standard outdoor operation especially in rainy season.

Internal Combustion Forklifts

These models use different types of fuel like gas, diesel, and LPG. These are most powerful form of forklift. These can easily carry heavy loads and can easily refueled but produce much noise as compared to electrical model. To operate these models require more cost. Much of this cost is hidden. Although these models have lower initial cost as compared to electrical model but they have greater operational cost. Diesel, gas, and petrol are not much cheap. Moreover greater space is required to store these items. So it also incurs storage cost. So always keep in mind the spacing and storage issue for purchasing these models of forklift. These types of models can only be used externally and are not suitable for warehouse use. Only LPG can be used externally as well as internally. It has very less refueling time normally between 5 to 15 mints. Some dual systems are also available but these are expensive as compared to other models.

A new concept is becoming popular which is use of hydrogen fuel cells in forklift model. These cells also produce zero emission just like batteries of electrical model. These cells can be refueled within few mints. These are not widely available yet but probability is that these will become popular in coming years.