In the material handling world, it’s safe to say that the bulky fuel consuming diesel & gas forklift trucks are a thing of the past. But, as electrified power solutions begin to takeover the material handling market, one common question we hear is; “ What is the difference between lead acid & lithium forklift trucks”? Primarily, the two battery chemistries differ tremendously, this greatly impacts the ergonomics, maintenance regime, performance, environmental impact & charging schedule of the forklift truck.
Here are the major differences between lead-acid & lithium forklift truck batteries are:
Lithium Sealed Battery Verses Lead-Acid Complex Maintenance Regime: The technology of lead-acid involves chemical reactions with lead plates & sulfuric acid. This creates sulphate build-up from a dissipation of hydrogen from heat generated during the charging process, this means operators must top the battery up with purified or distilled water to remove the build-up in the terminals and replace lost liquids. Lithium batteries are sealed and will never require any maintenance in their lifetime.
Lithium Green Initiative Verses Lead-Acid Hazardous Complications: Lead-acid batteries were originally developed in 1854, this old technology opened a host of environmental & health concerns. Over time, it was revealed that the lead-acid batteries where giving off hydrogen gasses during the charging process, known as ‘gassing’. This bought along a whole host of restrictive guidelines which demanded companies to change their infrastructure for sophisticated ventilation rooms. Lithium forklift trucks on the other hand give off zero emissions or gasses during use. In fact, investment in sustainable lithium represents a major step towards a greener future. Especially, with new reuse & recycling options developing every day.
Lithium Cost Reductions Verses Lead-Acid High Lifetime Spend:
Lithium Opportunity Charging & Super-Fast Charger Verses Inconvenient Charging Rooms: Lead-acid forklift trucks must have well ventilated charging rooms which comply to government regulations. They must be only charged when the battery level is below 30%. It is imperative that you avoid over charging or under charging a lead-acid battery and this can shorten it’s life span greatly. You must not opportune charge lead acid batteries, only one charge is permitted during a 24 hour period. Lithium forklift trucks are charged just like your mobile phone, they can be plugged in anytime, including lunch breaks & tea breaks. All Lithium forklift trucks come standard with super-fast chargers, they can be charged to 100% capacity unlike lead acid batteries that often can only reach 70% capacity.
The substantial benefits offered by Lithium technology means that it is the most obvious choice for all material handling applications. As a rule of thumb, lead-acid has always remained in the electrification race because of it’s lower price point. Forktruck Solutions has finally waved goodbye to lead-acid batteries as we can now offer lithium forklift trucks at a similar price point. Lead-acid doesn’t have a place in the material handling world anymore. What are the downsides to lithium I hear you ask? Put simply there are none! The Lithium power revolution is here.
