What are the specific impacts of environmental factors on the battery endurance of electric forklifts?

Impact of Temperature on Batteries

Low Temperatures (typically below 0–5°C):

• Internal resistance increases, discharge capacity decreases, and the effective energy per unit capacity is reduced.
• Self-discharge and polarization are exacerbated, charging and discharging efficiency declines, and endurance mileage is shortened.
• Charging speed slows down; insufficient heat generated during charging tends to prolong the charging duration.

High Temperatures (typically above 35–40°C):

• The rate of chemical reactions in the battery accelerates, increasing the risk of premature capacity loss and damage to cycle life.
• Moisture evaporation and aging of structural materials (e.g., degradation of separators, colloids, and binders) are accelerated, which adversely affects endurance and safety in the long run.

Practical Recommendations:

Operate the battery within an ambient temperature range of -10°C ~ 40°C and try to maintain the battery temperature in the middle of this operating range. Use battery heating/cooling systems or thermal insulation measures when necessary. Avoid prolonged discharging in extreme temperature environments.

Impact of Relative Humidity and Moisture

• High-humidity environments may cause moisture accumulation inside the battery box, corroding metal components and impairing the reliability of connectors and circuits, which indirectly reduces endurance stability and safety.
• Extremely dry conditions may lead to shrinkage of certain seals and battery structures, posing a risk of microcracks.

Practical Recommendations:Maintain the workshop humidity within an optimal range and ensure the battery box has good sealing performance. Conduct regular inspections of terminals and connecting wires for corrosion protection.

Temperature, Humidity and Thermal Management in Charging/Discharging Environments

• Inadequate thermal management will cause a rapid rise in temperature, which accelerates the increase in internal resistance and capacity degradation, significantly shortening the endurance mileage per charge.
• Uneven temperatures in charging/discharging environments (e.g., forklifts operating in different areas leading to large temperature differences between individual cells inside the battery pack) will trigger frequent activation of the protective balancing strategy of the Battery Management System (BMS) for individual cells, resulting in increased energy consumption.

Practical Recommendations:Adopt thermal management solutions such as uniform heat dissipation/heat sinks, fans, liquid cooling or phase change materials. Optimize charging and discharging strategies in a balanced manner to ensure the temperature difference between each cell group is kept within a safe range.

Vibration, Shock and Mechanical Environments

• Frequent vibrations and shocks will accelerate fatigue of the internal battery structure, loosening of contact points and cracking of solder joints, gradually reducing capacity and service life, thereby affecting both short-term and long-term endurance.
• Jolts caused by different terrains and road conditions exert significant impacts on the battery connectors and packaging structures of forklifts.

Practical Recommendations:Select battery boxes with anti-vibration design, as well as reliable fixing devices and shock-absorbing materials. Conduct regular inspections of the integrity of connectors and outer casings.

Cleanliness and Dust

• Dust entering the battery box and heat dissipation channels will block heat dissipation, causing heat accumulation, impairing temperature control effectiveness and safety, and indirectly reducing endurance.

Practical Recommendations:Keep the workshop clean and regularly clean the air inlets and heat dissipation channels of the battery box.

Air Quality and Corrosive Media

• Environments containing corrosive gases (e.g., acid mist, salt spray, chlorine gas, etc.) will accelerate corrosion of metal components and contact points, affecting electrical connectivity and the reliability of thermal management components, thereby compromising endurance and safety margins.

Practical Recommendations:In corrosive environments, select batteries and connectors made of anti-corrosive materials, enhance sealing and protection levels, and perform regular maintenance.

Coupling Effect of Workload and Environmental Conditions

• The higher the workload (e.g., heavy load, prolonged climbing, frequent starting/acceleration), the more susceptible the actual endurance will be to the combined effects of temperature and humidity compared with theoretical values under the same environment.
• Environmental differences between different shifts or work areas can lead to significant variations in endurance of the same model of forklift across different shifts.

Practical Recommendations:Establish energy consumption models based on actual operating conditions, develop correlation tables between environmental factors and energy consumption, and dynamically optimize charging schedules and rotation strategies.

Environmental Dependence of Battery Types and Management Systems

• Different battery types (e.g., lead-acid, lithium-ion, lithium iron phosphate, solid-state, etc.) exhibit varying sensitivities to the environment. The temperature control and balancing strategies of BMS also affect the actual endurance under specific environmental conditions.

Practical Recommendations:Select battery types according to the working scenarios and configure BMS with environment-adaptive settings, such as temperature control thresholds, balancing strategies and protection protocols.

Executable Key Points for Diagnosis and Optimization

1. Conduct comparative analysis of environment and endurance: Record actual operating temperature, humidity, road conditions, load, and remaining capacity/mileage after each charging and discharging cycle, and establish an environment-energy consumption correlation model.
2. Enhance thermal management: Evaluate whether the existing heat dissipation capacity is sufficient to maintain the battery temperature within the optimal range under high load; upgrade the cooling/heating system if necessary.
3. Standardize charging and discharging strategies: Avoid prolonged discharging in extreme temperatures and leverage the thermal management and balancing functions of BMS.
4. Perform regular maintenance and servicing: Inspect seals, terminals, connectors and heat dissipation channels for corrosion, loosening or blockage to ensure unimpeded heat dissipation.
5. Carry out environmental improvement: Optimize workplace environmental conditions (e.g., temperature/humidity control, vibration and noise reduction, cleanliness maintenance) to stabilize endurance performance.