Longer contracts place strain on batteries

There’s a trend in the forklift truck sector that’s been growing since the global financial crisis of 2008. 

A lack of industry confidence – coupled with a reluctance to invest in new plant – is leading many forklift fleet managers to keep their trucks longer or extend their rental contracts beyond the standard five years, typically to six or seven years.  

But can traction batteries on electric-powered forklifts last this long and continue at the same pace? The answer, for huge numbers of trucks, is no. 

In the fiercely competitive forklift truck market, batteries are chosen with the application in mind anticipating a life span of five years. But many aggressively priced packages can include the cheapest battery and charger option.

These packages may look like a bargain in the short-term, but can cause major problems in the long-term; problems that affect costs and productivity, two critical business indicators.

Inferior quality batteries typically contain lower quality lead, and, on occasion, less of it. This lead tends to degrade faster, yields less charge and provides a lower number of overall cycles.

Batteries with lower quality lead respond poorly to accidental under or overcharging, and as charge capacity drops, utilisation plummets and the battery begins to fail. 

It’s a prime example of a false economy. Using a poor quality battery makes no long-term business sense.

So in tough times like these, when contracts are being extended beyond five years and forklift batteries are pushed to their limits, this lack of consistent, heavy duty performance creates problems.

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The dealer or end user can be confronted with the expense of replacing a battery much earlier than they had anticipated.

Meanwhile, the forklift manager has to deal with a rapidly deteriorating battery that is working less and less efficiently and offering shorter available shift lengths and diminishing productivity.

It doesn’t have to be like this. There’s no reason why the right kind of battery and charger – with a proper maintenance schedule – cannot successfully perform well beyond the end of a five year contract, to six years or more.

There are so many factors that can shorten the life of a battery, and they all revolve around how it’s manufactured, how it’s used, how it’s charged and how it’s maintained.

I’ve mentioned the importance of good quality lead; this allows a battery to be more energy efficient and heat resistant, this affects the way the electricity passes through the plates, where it’s converted into energy. It’s less resistant, and therefore allows greater current flow along with reduced heat build-up.

Using high quality, long-life, properly-maintained batteries offers a multitude of benefits: improved efficiency, reductions in charging costs, cuts in energy usage, increased shift lengths, lower battery replacement costs and enhanced productivity. 

All of these benefits amount to delivering lower whole-life costs and generally making forklift businesses and operations much more productive and efficient.

Think long term. When budgets are tight, utilisation of every asset is vital, and a battery is an asset every bit as much as the forklift truck itself.

The secret weapon that changes everything is combining the right battery with the right charger. It’s the key to greater energy efficiency, less heat displacement and lower water consumption when charging.

Always using like-for-like manufacturers for batteries and chargers is a common myth. Energy efficiency is key, and this involves how they convert AC to DC; how deeply the battery gets charged.

Some chargers will only charge a battery 90%, but better quality – and better matched – chargers will charge up to 100%. With the right combination, you get deeper charges, longer run times, a longer lasting battery and more energy for every penny you spend – an increasingly important consideration with energy costs constantly on the rise.

Also, the way in which you charge is crucial. For example, there’s pulse charging, which reduces the amount of heat generated and the amount of water consumed. It’s all about putting the right level of power into the battery, and in the most efficient way.

Our long-term approach offers a myriad of rewards for end users, suppliers and dealers. Dealers can retain customers for longer, improve their customer satisfaction rates, offer longer contracts – at a lower weekly cost – and get more rental for the same piece of equipment with confidence.  We work with an increasing number of dealers – as well as fleet managers – to cut whole-life costs and optimise productivity.