Forklift battery management is used to maximize the useful life of batteries in fleets of pallet jacks and other electric forklifts. It is complex business that is being made easier with the introduction of lithium-ion battery technology.

The benefits of lithium-ion powered forklifts are creating a shift in the material handling industry.

Warehouse operators and fleet managers that have moved from lead-acid to lithium-ion power for their forklifts, consistently experience these top 5 benefits:

Benefit 1: Track battery health

Lithium-ion can simplify how to track the health and usage of fleets of forklift batteries. Onboard computers, such as those installed on Flux Power lithium-ion batteries, can be connected to the cloud and send vital data to end fleet personnel.

To illustrate the point, here’s a recent incident from a large fleet using Flux Power LiFT Packs for pallet jacks.

An employee at Flux Power received a phone alert that a pallet truck battery was reporting as empty, and had been empty for days. After investigating, it was discovered that the driver had gone on vacation and the battery and truck were left abandoned without being plugged it in. The customer was then able to find and plug in the battery before it went completely dead - thus avoiding any warranty issues.

Remote monitoring of batteries lets you track them via GPS along with the reporting of battery status.  The battery management system (BMS) monitors all battery metrics and can report wirelessly through local networks, or through cellular to the cloud.  Perhaps even more importantly, remote monitoring can catch problems before they cause a shutdown, reducing or eliminating truck downtime.  

Benefit 2: Fast charging

Lithium-ion batteries have benefits outside of data and reporting, and that’s the good news for fleet operators. Lithium-ion forklift batteries charge in as little as one hour, on demand, with no need for cool down periods before use. Faster charging mean fewer batteries and smaller, or even no, battery storage rooms are needed. 

Benefit 3: Longer runtimes

Longer run times per charge, coupled with the fast charge times, simplifies fleet operations for multi-shift environments.  Hazardous battery swapping procedures and additional storage space are no longer needed. By using lithium-ion to manage fleets of forklift batteries you can assume: one truck...one battery.

Benefit 4: No water maintenance

Forklift battery management using lithium-ion requires no watering. Simply plug in, recharge and go. This is today’s operating reality for companies making the switch. No water maintenance means not only fewer headaches and acid spills but also people spend more time doing their job, and less time dealing with equipment.

Benefit 5: Automated safeguards

Finally, lithium-ion helps protect against abuse. Lithium-ion batteries from Flux Power take advantage of a patented BMS which protects against overheating, over-discharge, overcharging and shorting (fused).

Fleet managers with lithium-ion technology powering their forklift batteries experience all these advantages and more. If you’re like many warehouse operators and want to test the benefits for yourself, contact Flux Power today.