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Lithium ion Forklift Batteries in South Africa

How To Pick An Ideal Forklift Battery in South Africa?

Apr 27, 2023

Category: Forklift Battery

It is the most popular question among business owners whose workload depends upon forklifts. The type of forklift battery has major effects on the overall efficiency of the company- whether you own a fleet of forklifts or just one forklift. The type of forklift and battery type helps to save a lot of money and time for business owners in the long run. Choosing the right forklift battery can be challenging in South Africa and especially for those new to the warehouse equipment industry. Factors such as battery capacity and maintenance requirements all need to be taken into account to ensure the longevity and efficiency of your forklift and forklift batteries. In this blog post, we'll explore the process of selecting the ideal forklift battery for your business in South Africa, ensuring you make an informed and cost-effective decision.

Electric Forklifts battery types:

After knowing the size of the forklift battery you need, the next is to consider the compatible type of battery for the forklift. Generally, two types of batteries are used in electric forklifts:

  • Lead acid forklift battery
  • Lithium-ion forklift battery

Both batteries are made using different techniques and have a different impact on the efficiency of the forklift. Lead acid batteries are standard types of forklift batteries that were used earlier. They have units filled with liquid and a removable top to generate power using a chemical reaction of sulfuric acid and lead plates. This tech dates back to 1859 and has the drawback of filling the units with water regularly before use.

Lithium-Ion Battery Forklift is a new-age technology which firstly was used in a commercial for a Sony Camcorder in early 1990. They are built using different chemistry than lead batteries. The most common chemical used for material handling is LFP (lithium iron phosphate). It is more energy dense and compact than lead and does not require any water maintenance as the cells are sealed.

Electric Forklifts battery life cycle:

Electric Forklifts battery is one of those expenses in the material handling industry that must be dealt with on regular basis. The type of battery used in a forklift by a company determines how many times the battery needs to be replaced. Lithium-ion and lead acid batteries have a different life cycle.

Lead acid is good for 1000-1500 cycles, and Lithium forklift battery has around 3500 cycles. The cycle also depends on the maintenance of batteries and how they are used. Lithium forklift battery needs less maintenance and replacement than lead acid battery, which is why, Lithium-ion battery is preferred by business owners.

Safety of Electric Forklifts battery:

Safety is the major concern when it comes to forklift batteries. Be it a lead-acid or lithium-ion forklift battery, safety is important for both. But, one of these battery type offers better safety and advantages than others for a typical work environment.

The lithium-ion battery is preferred over the lead acid battery for many reasons and safety is one of them. Lead-acid batteries have a higher risk of spilling out as they need to be watered every week. If the refilling of water is not done safely, workers can be at risk of getting in contact with highly-toxic sulfuric acid. Overheating, hazardous gasses due to overheating, and many other issues.

But, with a Lithium-ion forklift battery, one doesn’t have to worry about such issues. They are sealed which minimizes the risk of acid spills, contamination, sulfation, or corrosion in the workplace.

The Best Place to Buy Forklift Battery

Orizen Group in South Africa offers a range of Electric Forklift Battery options to cater to all your electric handling equipment. Our electric forklift experts offer a variety of essential products and services about material handling equipment. The variety of options provides you with equipment and services of the highest quality at lower costs.