With the continuous expansion of lithium battery application in the forklift field, the life of forklift lithium battery has become the focus of the industry. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the various factors affecting the life of forklift lithium batteries, at the same time, targeted to extend its life of effective methods, designed to help forklift users to better manage and maintain the forklift lithium batteries, to achieve a win-win situation in terms of economic and environmental benefits.
The life of a lithium battery is usually measured by the number of charge and discharge cycles. Each complete charge and discharge process is counted as one cycle. Generally speaking, the number of charge/discharge cycles for lithium forklift batteries is around 1,000 - 3,000, but this is not an absolute value and can be affected by a variety of conditions.
For example, shallow charging and discharging (not fully charging or discharging the battery each time) can effectively increase the number of cycles.
High temperature environment will accelerate the chemical reaction inside the battery, leading to accelerated degradation of the battery internal materials, increasing the rate of battery self-discharge, and may also cause thermal runaway and other safety hazards. Prolonged operation at high temperatures (e.g., over 40°C) may significantly shorten the life of lithium batteries. Low temperature environment is also unfavorable, will reduce the activity of the battery, making the battery charging and discharging efficiency is reduced. For example, if a forklift is frequently used in an environment below -10℃, the battery capacity will decay faster than in a normal temperature environment.
The use of chargers that do not meet the specifications of the battery, or unstable charging current and voltage can lead to overcharging and over-discharging. Overcharging will generate too much heat inside the battery, causing problems such as battery bulging and electrolyte decomposition, while over-discharge may cause irreversible damage to the battery plate.
If forklift trucks are operated for a long period of time every day, the battery is constantly charged and discharged, and its lifespan will naturally be shortened faster than that of a forklift truck battery that is used less frequently. Moreover, the size of the load carried by the forklift when working should not be ignored. When operating under high load for a long period of time, the battery needs to output more current to drive the forklift, which will increase the pressure inside the battery and intensify the heating of the battery, thus affecting the life of the battery.
Strictly follow the charging parameters and charging process recommended by the battery manufacturer. Try to adopt the charging strategy of slow charging mainly and fast charging as a supplement, and avoid using the fast charging function frequently unless there are urgent operational needs. At the same time, ensure that the quality of the charger is reliable, and regularly check and maintain the charger to ensure the stability of current and voltage during charging and prevent overcharging and over-discharging.
The temperature of the parking and working environment of the forklift should be paid attention to and regulated. In the high temperature season, try to park the forklift in a cool and ventilated place, avoid direct sunlight on the battery, and also consider installing cooling devices, such as a fan in the battery compartment, to help the battery dissipate heat. In the cold winter, if the ambient temperature is too low, the battery can be preheated properly before the forklift is started, so that the battery reaches the appropriate working temperature, improves its charging and discharging performance, and reduces the damage of low temperature on the battery life.
Establish a perfect battery maintenance system, regularly check the appearance of forklift lithium batteries to see if there are abnormalities such as bulging, leakage, etc. At the same time, with the help of professional battery testing equipment, detect potential problems in the battery internal resistance, capacity and other key indicators. At the same time, with the help of professional battery testing equipment, test the battery's internal resistance, capacity and other key indicators, timely discovery of potential problems battery, and according to the results of the test to take appropriate maintenance measures, such as the capacity of serious battery attenuation equalization of charging or replacement and other operations, to ensure that the performance of the entire battery pack is in a good state.
Forklift lithium batteries, as an important part of forklifts, are expensive to replace. If the battery life can be extended through proper use and maintenance, the number of battery replacements can be reduced, thus lowering an organization's purchasing expenditures on forklift batteries. In addition, a longer battery life means less downtime for forklifts due to battery failure or performance degradation, which indirectly improves forklift operational efficiency and further saves operational costs.
When the lifespan of the lithium-ion forklift battery is guaranteed, it can continuously and stably provide power for the forklift throughout its life cycle, avoiding frequent charging wait or operation interruptions due to insufficient battery power or performance degradation, enabling the forklift to efficiently complete material handling tasks and ensuring the smooth flow of the entire production or logistics process.
Compared with traditional lead-acid batteries, lithium batteries have advantages in environmental protection, with greater potential for energy recovery and recycling. Extending the life of lithium batteries can give full play to their environmental characteristics, reduce the amount of waste batteries, reduce the pollution of the environment, in line with the current global advocacy of the concept of green and sustainable development, for enterprises to establish a good social image also has a positive role.
In short, the life of the forklift lithium battery is affected by a variety of factors, and through scientific management, reasonable use and effective maintenance and other measures, can extend its life, which has a vital significance for the enterprise in reducing costs and improving efficiency.
