tunity charging is about 25 percent, meaning that you’re
putting 250 DC amps back into the battery at the start.
The start rate for fast-charging applications is 35 percent or
more, Harrison says.
Speeding up the charging process via opportunity
charging and fast charging allows the lift truck to be used
more continuously throughout a shift and for multiple
shifts, often allowing facilities to reduce both the number of
batteries and the amount of equipment they need. Thus, the
cost savings add up: in lower capital expenditures, higher
productivity, and lower maintenance costs.
BALANCING THE RISKS
Although the pros of opportunity- and fast-charging methods are pretty clear—cost savings, higher productivity, and
safety and maintenance improvements—experts caution
that the methods are not for everyone. As Mike Hagen,
vice president of sales and marketing for Menomonee Falls,
Wis.-based battery and charger maker Storage Battery
Systems LLC, explains, opportunity charging simply means
that you’re charging the battery more often and using
higher charge currents to keep your equipment up and
running. This can be ideal for operations running multiple
shifts, as it allows them to save the time spent changing out,
charging, and cooling their batteries daily.
Likewise, fast charging may be ideal in situations with
heavy equipment use—for example, an automotive plant
running six days a week and looking to reduce liability
concerns associated with employees frequently changing
out large, heavy batteries; free up valuable floor space previ-
ously needed for battery changing rooms; and reduce labor
costs by eliminating time lost changing batteries.
But there is one big “con” with both methods, and it can
outweigh the benefits if the conditions aren’t right: reduced
battery life.
Think of your battery as a car that will run a certain number of miles before it wears out. The faster you put those
miles on, the sooner you will need to replace it.
“Batteries still have a finite [amount of use],” Harrison
explains. “Opportunity charging and fast charging don’t
change that.”
In fact, they can accelerate the process by exposing the
battery to more heat, which can wear it down faster.
“You still get the same amount of work out of the battery, you’re just getting through the life of the battery faster
because you are using it more,” Harrison explains, adding
that proper care and monitoring is crucial to getting peak
performance out of any lead-acid battery, regardless of the
charging method. “That’s taking a while for end users to
grasp. Instead of getting five to seven years out of [a battery], you may get a year less.”
Hagen adds that while both opportunity charging and
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