Chargers for Lithium Forklift Batteries

OneCharge matches each Li-ion battery with a forklift battery charger for an ideal pairing.

• Lithium chargers are lightweight and small enough to be placed wherever an operation runs power and is most convenient for the drivers, e.g., next to a parking spot.
• The small size of wall-mounted or stand-alone lithium chargers means a smaller footprint and easy relocation when there is a facility set-up change.
• It is recommended to purchase lithium batteries bundled with their corresponding chargers, though in some cases older chargers can be retrofitted.
• A lithium charger needs to be programmed to provide the recommended Ah output corresponding to the battery capacity and charging rate; dual plug batteries can be charged in half the time, and require special charger models.
• Facility electric infrastructure needs to safely supply enough power to support the number of chargers required for the operation.

Charging a Li-ion battery offers unique advantages when compared with lead-acid.

• A major advantage of lithium-ion batteries includes increased capacity and lifespan of the battery with quick opportunity charging. There is no “memory effect” created when charging a lithium-ion battery as there is with some other battery types.
• If you are familiar with how to charge a lead acid battery, you will recognize the 8-8-8 charging cycle. This is 8 hours of operation, 8 hours of charging and 8 hours of cooling.
• Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which benefit from opportunity charging, a thin plate pure lead (TPPL) battery must be fully charged at each charging session to limit sulfation. TPPL batteries present an increased loss of charge capacity, or “memory effect,” with a partial charge. TPPL batteries have a higher rate of charge and discharge than traditional flooded lead acid technology, but it still translates to an increased level of internal heat and causes a reduction in the life expectancy of the battery.

Charging a lithium-ion battery is a safe process. OSHA statistics since 2015 have zero lithium battery-related incident records.

• A battery management system (BMS) controls every aspect of the battery: voltage, amperage and temperature. Once the battery is plugged in, the BMS will ensure that it charges safely.
• It is not possible to overcharge a lithium battery; there are no risks of overheating, or acid fumes or spills, associated with lead-acid batteries.
• OneCharge’s CAN bus integration with the truck ensures the drive function is disabled when the battery is on charge, so plugging in a forklift and driving away from the charger is not possible.

Li-ion batteries charge at a rate from 0.5 to 5C and higher.

• The charging rate is designated by C, which stands for Capacity. A 1C rate means that in one hour a battery charges to its full (one) capacity.
• An LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, Li-ion battery has a charging rate of up to 1.5C. The battery will charge from 0% battery state of charge to 100% in about two hours at 0.5C.
• NMC batteries can charge at a rate of up to 5C, but it rarely saves any time. The right battery capacity ensures that battery state of charge never goes below 30% and quick opportunity charging during regular breaks in a shift are enough to last the battery through multiple shifts per day.
• A dual plug connection can double the charging rate of a battery if such a requirement exists for a specific application.