How to make forklift batteries last longer?

Warehouse managers are faced with the challenge of keeping their fleets running optimally while controlling costs. One of the most important components of electric trucks is the battery, In the following articles, we will review three cost saving methods. In this post we will cover the first part, how to save costs thanks to battery management.

Battery management for resource optimization

The responsibility for managing a forklift fleet extends not only to the equipment, but also to its batteries. Although often overlooked, batteries represent a significant part of the total cost of the equipment. Proper management of the forklift battery will extend its life, avoiding the cost of purchasing additional batteries during the life of the forklift.

Want to extend the life of your forklift batteries? First, you will need to know:

How and how often are the batteries charged?

Is the battery type suitable for your business operations?

Answering these questions can be more difficult than it initially seems. Thanks to a fleet management system, such as BSLBATT Lithium with Cloud Platform page, you can instantly access a lot of battery value data through a web portal.

1. How and how often are the batteries charged?

On a day-to-day basis, it is practically impossible to control how and when all batteries are charged. Thanks to fleet management systems such as BSLBATT lithium cloud platform, detailed data on the charge / discharge cycles of each battery of the forklift trucks in the fleet can be consulted in detail. Thanks to this valuable information, you can quickly detect inefficiencies in batteries, allowing you to take action when necessary, such as investing in additional training on efficient battery use for your warehouse operators. Additionally, monitoring battery usage at the fleet level will also help you improve energy efficiency.

2. How to get the most out of your batteries?

Battery management best practices vary widely based on battery type:

Lead-acid batteries:Lead-acid batteries must be charged when they reach 20% discharge. This will keep the battery life expectancy close to five years. The life cycle is affected by the charging frequency. If the battery is frequently charged for short periods before it reaches 20%, which is known as opportunity charging, the battery life will drop dramatically and you will need to purchase an additional battery much sooner.

Lithium batteries: Lithium batteries are more flexible when charging. Unlike lead-acid batteries, the life expectancy of a lithium battery is not affected by charging frequency. In fact, Opportunity Loading is recommended to keep the truck available throughout the entire shift. Using BSLBATT lithium cloud platform will allow you to verify that your batteries are always fully charged when the trucks are idle. This analysis will allow you to detect the best load times to optimize load utilization during operations, saving valuable production time. 

How do you design a modular lithium ion battery?

A lithium ion battery consists of several cells that are assembled together in a module. Depending on the size of the battery, the modules are connected in series and form a battery system.

In the specific case of BSLBATT Li-ion range, each module is equipped with its own mechanical and electronic safety system. In addition, the complete battery system has a superior BMS (Battery Management System) that monitors the total activity of the battery.

The BMS system cooperates and communicates with the equipment, if any cell of a battery module should fail or run some kind of risk, such as risk of overheating, the power supply would shut down and the truck would show an error code.

The adaptability of modular lithium

Modular lithium can be adapted to different power needs thanks to its independent, combinable and interchangeable modules. In other words, it allows a personalized energy configuration to satisfy the current energy demand, but also the future one, of each particular operation.

The multiple power settings can go, for example, from 24 to 96 V and from 86 to 900 Ah.

Reliability of the modular lithium system

The modular lithium system is based on cylindrical cells with high mechanical resistance that respond both to the demands of continuous shocks and vibrations typical of logistics machinery applications, as well as to variations in temperature and humidity typical of a logistics warehouse.

Modular Lithium Battery Safety

Each battery module has independent mechanical safety elements, as well as an electronic control.

The BMS (Battery Management System) control unit monitors all parameters and communicates with both the machine and the load unit to ensure safety at all times.

This results in an active, redundant security system at various levels that allows risks to be minimized.

You can read more about risks and prevention in lithium batteries in this article.

Integrated system: high performance and long service life

The lithium battery is a component that may or may not be built into the machine. The systems that are already integrated in the truck squeeze a greater performance of the machine in all types of applications and allow it to interact perfectly with its energy recovery systems, such as braking or lowering the load, among others.

The integrated system guarantees instant energy delivery even in the most demanding situations, without reducing the machine’s performance or altering its level of productivity. In turn, the efficient use of energy allows the useful life of the battery to accompany the life cycle of the machine.

Charging connector: charge the battery quickly and safely

It is important that the plug and socket system allows effortless and safe connection and disconnection for charging. The charging connector must be well designed to withstand multiple daily connections and disconnections.

Smart chargers: more efficient charges

There are smart chargers that allow you to service different machines in the same fleet in a flexible and independent way.

The chargers communicate with the interface of the battery management system to identify the equipment and its charge level, which allows to complete the recharge in the shortest possible time.

In addition, in the case of detecting limitations in the electrical installation, they self-regulate to manage the available energy, distributing it efficiently in the trucks according to their load level, thus avoiding overloads in the network or in the machines themselves.

Additionally, some models offer the possibility of incorporating on-board chargers, integrated into the same machine, for greater autonomy.

On-site repairs without moving the truck

What happens when a battery requires maintenance? One of the most annoying problems is the cost of having the trucks stopped. Most lithium batteries, like lead batteries, require moving the machine for repair, generating costs and lost time from forced shutdown.

BSLBATT’s modular lithium system has been designed to allow separate modules to be replaced on-site in the event of a failure. In this way, the complete solution (truck, battery and charger) can be diagnosed and repaired in a single trip, thus reducing downtime.

Recycling at the end of the lithium battery life

In accordance with the European Battery Regulations (2006/66 / EC) and national regulations, it is necessary to carry out a recovery of lithium batteries at the end of their useful life.

It is important that the supplier of the lithium battery machine takes care of the recovery of the batteries and their correct recycling at the end of their useful life, always guaranteeing the minimum possible impact on the environment.

With the correct type of battery, optimally charged, you can use the forklifts in your fleet at full capacity, saving energy and costs.

In addition, we also answer the main questions regarding the use of lithium batteries in forklifts or you can contact us to resolve any other questions you may have.