Luis V

This information mabe of help in the information I am providing you I am assuming a normal clean operation and a 5000 lb truck model with a 3 stage mast, side shift & forks.
If you want to get some good information contact my long time friend Rodolfo Slobotsky he lives in Mexico near Mexico City and has been in the lift trucks business a long time. He sent an e-mail relative to your questions.

1. It is possible to get a good estimate on the correct wsize battery you need for your operation. First, you need to get a "demo" or short term rental unit from a local dealer with the specifcations or as close to the specs you need. Have them arrange through their battery supplier for a "Power Prover" to the unit (a simple instalation at the battery connector). This will determine the number of amps that are consumed in your operation. Takes some of the guess work out of battery sizing.

2. Secondly, I would recommend you use a truck w/48V system battery and charger. The cost difference between 36v and 48v batteries & chargers is very little (I give my customers a choice 36v or 48v at the same price). You will benefit from faster travel speeds, lift/tilt speeds that equal and in some cases faster than comparable engine powered trucks. Plus the electical (motors, switches)& electronic (controllers)components will see less heat and last longer as the will see less amps(higher amps = higher heat). Some people will say the higher the amps + longer run time. This false, what you need to look at is the kwH rating.

3. The cost for regular or planned maintence is less on an electric than engine powered. We charge our customer about $95 for a PM on an electric unit and about $155 to $170 for an engien powered unit.

4. Yes an electric truck intial costs more but maybe your company can benefit from an higher depreciation expense deduction - check with your controller. Plus an electric truck will last longer (less moving parts) a typical electric truck can be expected to run about 13,000 to 14,000 hours before major overal repairs are required with engine powered equipment they can be expeced to run about 10,000 to 11,000 hours or 1-2 more years longer.

5. A key ingredient in having a succesful conversion to electric is proper battery maintenance and charging techniques. You msut have people "properly" trained and I would reccomend you have the batterier supplier come in and train your personnel. Then you have clearly assigned responsibilities for periodic iof battery water levle, charging including when to "equalize" charge the battery (the battery/charger person can explain - it is very simple (push a button) so simple not many people every do it will extend the life of the battery.