Will lithium batteries be the new option for Motive Power Applications?

2020/10/30 | Lithium Forklift Battery | 0


With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, the material handling industry has been affected in many ways by the surge of demand for essential products. With the future of some companies up in the air, companies are reassessing their operational costs, processes, resources, and equipment. At BSLBATT, we have seen customers reevaluating their industrial batteries to find the most cost-effective option for their forklifts and other material handling equipment.


Known as motive power batteries (or traction batteries), they are used in off-road applications where the battery energy is used to produce motion. Many different battery technologies, with different specific properties, are covered by the term motive power.


Increasing levels of electrification of motive power applications is taking place because of several factors. Due to innovation of battery technologies:


● Batteries ensure lower CO2 emissions


● Electrification of the motive power applications ensures lower exhaust fumes


● Battery-driven motive power applications reduce noise pollution


● Motive power batteries also allow for the efficient storage of electricity generated from renewable energy sources.

REPLACING LEAD ACID

After 150 years of development, lead acid still has a lot of development potential, or so some say. But as it stands now, Li Ion, with three times the energy density and between three and five times the cycle life of a maintenance free, VRLA battery, the only real card Lead Acid has to pay is price. Even this thin advantage is eroding as Li Ion gets cheaper and the life cycle advantage gets taken into account.


The case for lead acid weakens further when low temperatures are involved such as in a cold room, here the energy content of the battery may be as little as 20% of the capacity and room temperature, Li Ion would typically be at least 70%.

WHY USE LITHIUM-ION FORKLIFT BATTERIES?

Lithium batteries are quicker to charge and can save you money by not having to rely on watering, cleaning and equalising required by other types of forklift batteries. You also get longer and consistent performance compared to other batteries.


Lithium-ion batteries contain on average three times more energy than standard batteries, provide consistent voltage, and don’t slow down your machine as they discharge.


They are safer to use for your staff and a better option for the environment, having a lifecycle up to 4 times longer and are up to 30% more energy efficient, they are safer and greener because they do not emit CO2 gas, and there’s no risk of acid spills.


Lead-acid batteries need 8 hours to charge and another 8 hours to cool down, whilst a lithium-ion battery can be fully charged in as little as an hour, making more efficient use of opportunity charging during breaks, resulting in an ideal choice for multi-shift operations.

ARE LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES WORTH THEIR HIGHER PRICE?

If you are running multi-shift operations, it’s a no brainer that lithium-ion batteries pay for themselves in just a few years. An average single-shift operation will find lithium-ion batteries pay for themselves in about five years, sometimes even less. In addition, as they can last up to four times longer, you’ll be buying batteries less often too.


 How can lithium-ion batteries contribute to a cost-efficient warehouse operation?


●  You will save money you would have spent on energy for charging batteries


●  Less time and labour involved by workers swapping out lead-acid batteries


●  Less time and labour spent maintaining and watering lead-acid batteries


●  Reduced waste of energy (a lead-acid battery normally uses up to 50% of its energy through heat, while a lithium battery uses only up to 15%)


●  Lithium-ion batteries massively helped the explosion of sales in the personal electronics industry, but haven’t had the same impact on industrial equipment as yet, so swapping to lithium-ion batteries now can be an investment in the future.


Motive power batteries generate jobs and growth because of their presence in nearly all sectors of industry and the economy, either directly or indirectly, through logistics or material handling applications. Moreover, these batteries contribute to several EU policy objectives:


● Reducing emissions


● Helping the grid


● Increasing recycling


● Innovation – in the past and future

TEST THE BATTERY PERIODICALLY

You should have your forklift’s battery professionally tested regularly, especially if it shows symptoms of weakness. This will help to avoid electrical component failure.


Lithium Forklift

Three Things to Consider When Deciding if Lithium-Ion Batteries are Right for You

1. Equipment Compatibility 


Deciding what is best for your fleet takes research, data, and knowledge. If you’re looking to make a change in your forklifts, electric pallet jacks, stackers, burden carriers or other material handling machinery, then you need to evaluate what motive power source will increase your productivity, and which is the most compatible with your current equipment. If your equipment would require conversion parts or CAN bus communication, it is important to assess those costs as well as the cost of the upgraded technology.


2. Charging and Maintenance 


One benefit of lithium batteries is being able to opportunity charge at very high currents, or the ability to charge intermittently throughout the day. Additionally, there is little to no maintenance required for a lithium battery. “Lithium has a very high energy density and is essentially maintenance-free, which is very advantageous for customers,” says Marty Srog, Director of Operations for HAWKER. “A consideration should be made for the required infrastructure to charge batteries at higher rates with chargers that have higher output.”


3. Battery Life


Lithium technology provides many advantages and is always improving. Two key factors that have specifically been a focus of development are battery life and safety. 


To ensure that these batteries are kept in their safe operating limits, BSLBATT Lithium Forklift Battery has incorporated advanced circuitry in the form of a battery management system (BMS). This modern integrated technology continuously monitors items such as the battery’s cells, state of charge (SoC), overall health, and thermal load to safely provide optimum power and efficiency. Additionally, the BMS is paired with a CAN bus controller which communicates all battery information to the battery charger, the lift truck, and external network monitoring systems. Multiple levels of safety have been employed into the development and operation of the BSLBATT lithium battery.


forklift battery price

EFFICIENT BATTERIES HELP IMPROVE WAREHOUSE PRODUCTIVITY

If your business depends on forklifts to operate, the type of industrial battery you choose will have a major impact on your company’s overall efficiency – and that’s true if you have just one electric lift vehicle or an entire fleet of forklifts in use. Depending on which type of electric forklift battery you choose, you could save a lot of money and time in the long run, reducing your margins and increasing profits.


One issue faced by many forklift fleets that use battery-powered forklifts is the need to have three batteries for each forklift in operation: one for use in the forklift, a fully charged standby battery to replace it, and one battery in the charger. This is the traditional method for avoiding excessive downtime when batteries need to be changed.


However, the time is taken to dismount the battery in the forklift, load in the standby, and replace the battery on the charger with the depleted battery still cuts into the productivity of the forklift operator.


One way to improve efficiency is by going green and using eco-friendly, highly efficient batteries that can last longer per charge and don’t take as much time to charge, so there is no need to have as many batteries on standby.


If you have any questions about lithium batteries for forklifts, give us a call!


BSLBATT Lithium has been hard at work, producing a premium lithium battery product. Our Motive Power Lithium-Ion Batteries is ideal for heavy use applications; but specifically those customers with multi-shift operations and known maintenance issues. Its modular design enables scalability for future additional capacity making sure it will grow with your operation, not hinder it. Having this flexibility allows a customer to choose the required power without paying for more than they need.


Find out more about lithium-ion batteries for your forklift or other forklift products by contacting our friendly staff.

About the Author

Lithium Forklift Battery

Since 2012, served as chief engineer in our company, won a “Hefei gold worker" and another honorary title, its lead type low-temperature water system 76 Ah aluminum shell lithium iron phosphate power battery won the fifth worker in Hefei title of “Excellent" technology innovation achievements, Leading the development of ternary aluminum shell, water system lithium iron phosphate aluminum shell, water system lithium iron phosphate plastic shell and other products.

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