Battery basics – what makes up a forklift battery.

Battery basics – what makes up a forklift battery.

A lead-acid motive power battery is a portable energy source for supplying direct electrical current (DC) to electric vehicles. It usually consists of six or more cells connected in series to provide the necessary voltage, and ampere-hour (Ah) capacity. Each cell has a nominal voltage of 2 volts, thus a 6-cell battery is referred to as a 12-volt battery, and an 18-cell battery as a 36-volt battery, etc.

The vehicle configuration, application, and type of operation to be performed determine the battery voltage and Ah capacity selected. A battery is rated by its capacity to deliver or discharge electrical energy over a period of time, and the capacity is expressed in amps per hour. For example, a battery rated at 600 Ah at a six-hour rate can deliver 100 amperes continuously for six hours before it reaches a fully discharged condition. The six-hour rate is the standard used by the North American battery industry when measuring capacity for motive power batteries.

[ BATTERIES ]