Forklift Lithium-Ion Battery: Why It's Your Best Choice
A forklift lithium-ion battery has many great advantages over a lead acid battery including much faster charging times, holding a charge much longer, usable capacity of 80% and so much more!
Today we are going to take a look at the forklift lithium-ion battery and let you know why it is your best choice.
We have over 40 years in the material handling industry and we would love to share our expertise and experience with you.
We'll outline all the features and benefits of the forklift lithium-ion battery and compare it to the traditional lead-acid battery. So, let's get going.
Learn why a forklift lithium-ion battery is your better choice
Forklift Lithium-Ion Battery
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) is an "advanced battery technology that uses lithium ions as a key component of its electrochemistry." The electrodes inside a lithium-ion battery are made from lithium and carbon.
Because lithium is a highly reactive element it is capable of storing a large amount of energy in its atomic bonds. This means that lithium-ion batteries have a very high energy density.
The following video explains the main differences between a lithium-ion battery and a lead acid battery.
Learn more about the difference between lithium-ion and lead acid batteries
How a Forklift Lithium-Ion Battery Differs from a Lead AciD BATTERY
There are several differences between a forklift lithium-ion battery and the common lead acid battery, here are some of the main ones:
Battery Management System: Lithium-ion batteries have a battery management system that protects the battery from getting an under-charge and an overcharge. Lead acid batteries do not have this feature.
Usable Capacity: Lithium batteries have a greater usable capacity. You can use 80% of the power in a lithium battery before it is considered to be flat. The lead acid battery on the other hand only lets you use between 30 and 40% of its power before it is considered flat.
Power Storage: A lithium-ion battery can store 150 watt-hours of electricity in 1 kilogram of battery, however, a lead acid battery can only store about 25 watt-hours per kilogram.
A typical forklift lithium-ion battery on the left and charger on the right
Cost: Lithium batteries are considerably more expensive than lead acid batteries.
Weight: Lithium batteries weigh about 1/3 of the weight of a lead acid battery, which makes them much easier to handle. This is because lead makes up 90% of the lead acid battery whereas only 3% of the lithium-ion battery is made up of lithium.
Temperatures: Lithium batteries are sensitive to temperature so they don't work well in extremely cold temperatures.
Power Output: Lithium batteries offer a larger power output per kilogram than lead acid batteries.
Typical lead acid batteries
Charge Time: A lithium-ion battery can receive charge at a much higher rate than a lead-acid battery so their charge times are much quicker.
Lifespan: A forklift lithium-ion battery has a much longer life expectancy than a lead acid battery.
Forklift Lithium-Ion Battery: MAINTENANCE
The forklift lithium-ion battery requires very little maintenance, however there are a few things that you should do in order to ensure that it lasts a long time and that it charges correctly.
After you have finished charging your forklift lithium-ion battery you need to cover the charging gun and the dust cover. If you don't cover these you may find you have problems when you try to charge again as the dirt and debris that builds up might prevent your charging gun from inserting all the way into position.
If your gun isn't inserted all the way you won't get a complete connection and it will return an error code, therefore, your battery will not charge. Dust can also wear away the surface on your battery connections and will cause a poor connection.
It is also a good idea to regularly clean the charger connectors to clear away any dust, debris or water that might get on them.
Discover useful forklift lithium-ion battery maintenance tips
Forklift Lead Acid Battery: Maintenance
A forklift lead acid battery is much more difficult to maintain because of its extreme size and weight (they weigh about as much as a mini van) and because it contains harmful acid which can be extremely dangerous if mishandled.
They also need to be watered. According to the Canadian Safety Association, your employees must be trained to safely handle and move batteries using the proper equipment.
To learn more about how to properly maintain your lead acid battery check out our post "Everything You Need to Know about Your Forklift Battery." The following video shows you how to properly water your battery.
Lead acid batteries require a lot more maintenance
Benefits of Hangcha's Forklift Lithium-Ion Battery
Hangcha has a large line-up of material handling equipment powered by lithium-ion batteries. Here are some of the great benefits of choosing an electric forklift powered by lithium by Hangcha.
Dead to Fully Charged in 2 Hours!
Hangcha's lithium-ion batteries fully charge in only 2 hours. That means they go from dead to fully-operational again much faster than lead-acid batteries which take 8-10 hours to fully charge.
Therefore, they use a lot less energy to charge and you can get back to work much faster.
Increase Your Productivity
Faster charging times means you can get back to work faster which increases your productivity and profit.
Hangcha has a wide range of forklift lithium-ion battery models
Use Less Energy
Not only can you get back to work much faster with Hangcha's lithium-ion powered trucks, but you'll also use less energy charging them which is better for your bottom line and for the environment!
They only burn off 10-15% of their energy as compared to a lead-acid battery which loses 45-50% of its energy.
Save Money
In addition you'll save on maintenance costs as lithium-ion batteries do not require the labour-intensive maintenance and watering that lead-acid batteries require.
Lithium-ion batteries last much longer than lead-acid batteries, so you save on replacement costs as well. They even have longer warranties. In fact, our Hangcha Lithium-ion batteries come with an incredible 10 year or 20,000 hour warranty.
Trust Wayco for the Best Lithium-Ion Powered Forklifts
If you are looking for the best lithium-on powered forklifts, contact Wayco. Wayco is now the exclusive dealer for Hangcha Forklifts in southwestern Ontario.
At Wayco, high quality and affordability are extremely important to us. That is why we have teamed up with Hangcha to bring you top forklift equipment at a significantly lower price than what you will pay with the competition. Now is the perfect time to buy a forklift from Wayco. Contact us today for a quote.
“I have used Wayco twice, and both times I experienced excellent customer service . They had the right forklift for my needs at a reasonable price. I will be using their services in the future and recommend you do as well.”
