A Practical Guide to Choosing the Right Battery for Industrial Vehicles
As the shift from combustion engines to electric power gains momentum in industries like material handling and floor care, selecting the right battery technology for your equipment has never been more important. With various battery types available today, from traditional flooded lead-acid to advanced thin plate pure lead (TPPL) and lithium-ion options, understanding which is best suited to your specific operational needs can improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and lower costs.
In this guide, we walk through the critical factors to consider when choosing the optimal battery for your industrial vehicle fleet, whether you're running forklifts, electric carts, tow tractors, or burden carriers.
Energy Capabilities – Storage Capacity and Recharge Efficiency
Equipment usage patterns vary widely, some equipment runs continuously across multiple shifts for multiple days, stopping briefly for worker breaks that are measured in minutes, while other equipment may be used intermittently with downtime that can be measured in days.
The level of usage and its resultant demands for energy have a big impact on which battery technology is best. A single shift or light-duty application in a retail store may not put a lot of demand on equipment, but a 24/7 operation at that same retailer’s distribution center will have very different energy requirements. This means the needed energy storage capacity for each application could vary dramatically – even if both locations are running the same piece(s) of equipment.
While many operations focus solely on overall energy storage capacity, they often miss the other key factor, the recharging efficiency and speed of the battery and charger combination. This becomes increasingly critical as operations migrate towards being 24/7 – reducing available charge time to a point where the only option is charging during worker breaks. This “opportunity charging” profile makes the overall efficiency and speed of the charging activity even more critical for the equipment to “keep up” with the operation.
Most traditional flooded lead-acid batteries are designed around an extended period to charge and cool, which can take several hours and make them impractical for most opportunity charging applications. Prior to the development of advanced TPPL and lithium-ion battery technologies, operations maintained multiple batteries for each piece of equipment – changing them out as they became depleted during shifts. But this has become impractical with newer TPPL and lithium-ion technologies, which are designed specifically for opportunity charging operations.
Aligning Battery Life with Equipment Lifecycle
When selecting a battery, it’s essential to consider the expected service life of both the battery and the equipment it powers. The goal should be to match the battery's longevity with the operational life of the vehicle to avoid over-investing in a battery that lasts significantly longer than the equipment lease or purchase term.
Different battery technologies come with varying lifespans, which are also impacted by how intensively the equipment is used and how well the battery is maintained. While many think of this in terms of having to put new batteries in old equipment, there’s also little sense in overpaying for a battery that will last far longer than your lease or expected life of the equipment. Aligning the expected battery life as closely as possible with that of your equipment is worth considering from the start of your lease or purchase.
Minimizing Maintenance Downtime
Maintenance is another critical factor in battery selection, particularly for operations with minimal scheduled downtime or high employee turnover. Maintenance-free NexSys® TPPL and NexSys iON lithium-ion batteries require no maintenance at all, while traditional flooded lead-acid batteries require regular watering, equalizing and occasional washing.
Traditional flooded lead-acid batteries that are not properly maintained will likely have a shorter life and need to be replaced more frequently. While battery energy capabilities are core to selection of the proper battery technology, many operations who may not require the advanced energy capabilities of lithium-ion, opt for TPPL to eliminate the need for dedicated battery maintenance from their operations.
Facility Requirements and Potential Upgrades
One often-overlooked consideration when selecting a battery is the impact on your facility. Operations opting to use traditional flooded lead-acid batteries with power demands that require multiple batteries for each piece of equipment often require dedicated spaces for charging, storage, and maintenance – meaning less space for other items or operations.
On the other hand, operations that require the opportunity charging capabilities of advanced technologies may require additional investment in facility electrical upgrades to deliver the volume of charging power required if the operation can only charge during breaks. For lithium-ion batteries, insurance can also be a consideration, with many facility insurance companies requiring additional riders, premiums or inspections prior to providing coverage for operations using lithium-ion batteries.
Leveraging Power Data for Optimal Battery Selection
Choosing the right battery and charger system requires more than just understanding the technologies on the market. The best approach starts with capturing actual power usage data from your fleet. By monitoring equipment energy consumption, charging intervals, and other critical performance metrics, you can develop a clearer picture of your energy needs.
Once this data is collected, it can be plugged into our proprietary EnSite™ modeling software, which allows you to simulate future changes in facility throughput, equipment usage patterns, and other operational factors to predict the long-term impact of different battery choices. Such an approach ensures that your selection is data-driven, reducing the risk of costly mistakes.
Powering Your Fleet with Confidence
Making the right choice for your battery technology requires careful evaluation of your equipment’s energy demands, operational downtime, and facility limitations. Whether you opt for traditional flooded lead-acid batteries, or maintenance-free NexSys® TPPL or NexSys® iON batteries, the key to maximizing your fleet’s performance lies in selecting the battery that best aligns with your operational needs.
By leveraging real-world data and the advanced capabilities of our proprietary EnSite™ modeling software, you can optimize your battery selection process, improving productivity and reducing unplanned downtime.
EnerSys® is dedicated to prescribing, deploying and supporting motive power solutions that help drive safe, productive daily operations for our customers based on performance, reliability and convenience. If you are interested in learning more about our complete range of traditional flooded-lead acid batteries, maintenance-free NexSys® TPPL or NexSys® iON batteries, or starting a power study with our EnSite™ modeling software to right-size your equipment power, please visit our website, or contact your local EnerSys® sales representative.