A finance team compares lithium forklift battery quotes that state limits in years, in cycles, or both. The fleet runs two shifts with opportunity charging, and the team wants to know which limit will apply first and what happens then.
When a warranty says ‘years or cycles, whichever comes first’, estimate cycles per year for your fleet and see which limit you reach first. Ask how the supplier counts a cycle, because opportunity charging can mean many partial charges. Also separate the warranty from the pack’s design life and support period. At Redway, the 5-year figure in forklift specifications is the design life, technical support runs for 3 years, and packs list about 4000 cycles.
Working out which limit comes first
- Count usage. Estimate energy used per shift, shifts per day and working days per year.
- Convert to cycles. Ask whether a cycle means a full charge-discharge, or equivalent full cycles summed from partial charges.
- Compare. Divide the cycle limit by cycles per year and compare with the year limit.
Questions to ask
- How are cycles counted and recorded, and can you see the BMS count?
- Is a capacity level promised at the end of the period, and how is it measured?
- What happens when one limit is reached: does cover end, or change?
- Are partial charges from opportunity charging treated differently?
Design life, warranty and support
Redway’s forklift specification tables show 5 years, which is the design life of the pack; the after-sales technical support period is 3 years. Redway’s packs list about 4000 cycles. Treat cycle figures as design guidance unless the contract states them as warranty terms. Our warranty wording article lists points to have in writing, and our opportunity charging article covers two-shift charging.
Using it in your cost model
Include the expected replacement point in your TCO; see our TCO inputs article. Redway’s warranty and support page gives background.
Risk limits
Terms differ by model and contract; rely on the signed warranty. This article is general guidance, not legal or financial advice.
Additional perspectives
Model the warranty end as a date in your plan. Whichever limit applies, a date is what the budget needs.
Redway Tech Editorial Team – Finance perspective
Ask to see the BMS cycle count on a demo pack. If you cannot read it, you cannot check the limit.
Redway Tech Editorial Team – Fleet manager perspective
Send us your shift pattern and charging routine. We can estimate equivalent cycles per year with you.
Redway Tech Editorial Team – Supplier support perspective
Specifications are taken from Redway product pages as of October 2026. Where a figure isn’t published, this article says so. Confirm current specifications for your model with Redway before ordering. This article is general guidance, not a site-specific engineering assessment.
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