Still, looking for the correct lithium battery as a power source for your intelligent transportation equipment AGV/AMR robot?
Lithium batteries, as an important part of intelligent logistics robots such as AGV/AMR, must not be brought to your attention whether you are a solution design company and manufacturer of AGV/AMR logistics robots or a designer and manufacturer of automated warehouse systems.
In this post, we’ll explore how to customize the correct AGV AMR Lithium battery for you, and in this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn:
With over 16 years of experience designing and manufacturing lithium-ion batteries in China, we have the in-house knowledge to provide professional and practical advice on purchasing lithium-ion AGV batteries.
Let’s read on with these questions in mind!
Key factors to consider when choosing an AGV AMR battery
Battery voltage and capacity
Voltage determines the battery’s power, while capacity determines the operating time. For example, a 48V, 100Ah battery can provide up to 4.8 kWh of energy. Of course, the first thing you must do when selecting a battery for an AGV (automated guided vehicle) and AMR (autonomous mobile robot) system is to determine the voltage; 24V, 48V, 60V, and 96V are usually standard voltages. Capacity may vary depending on the situation; you can customize batteries from 50-500Ah to meet your high-frequency use.
Size and weight
Due to space constraints, AGVs and AMRs require compact, high-energy-density designs, so a high-energy-density battery will save size and weight. Based on our 16 years of industry experience, AGVs are recommended to choose NMC batteries, and AMRs can choose LFP batteries.
Charge and discharge power
Typical AGV applications may require 1C, 2C, and 3C continuous discharge rates (C rate measures current relative to capacity). If a custom battery is being built, it must be ensured to support these peak discharge rates. Similarly, fast charging can reduce downtime, allowing the AGV to recharge up to 80% of its capacity in 30 minutes, thereby reducing downtime during shift changes.
Communication protocols
The BMS in the AGV must support effective communication between the vehicle and the charging station. It must ensure that the battery and the device support protocols such as CANBus or Modbus, UART, I2C, SPI, and so on to transmit key battery parameters such as state of charge (SoC), voltage, current, and temperature in real-time.
Using these protocols, the charging station can identify when the battery is running low, and the AGV or AMR will automatically go to the charging station to charge, thereby increasing battery life and reliability.
Operating environment
Operating environment: Use in harsh road conditions Iron phosphate lithium battery
High-temperature environment: LiFePO4 battery has high thermal stability and durability and can ensure safety in warehouse operations between -20°C and 60°C.
Low-temperature environment: Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) battery has high energy density and excellent low-temperature performance. It has better discharge characteristics and faster speed in cold storage or outdoor logistics applications with temperatures below 0°C.
Cost Analysis
It’s an industry standard that lithium-ion batteries cost more than lead-acid batteries, but why is it recommended that you choose lithium batteries? I’ve outlined for you in the chart below a comparison of the cost of lead acid and lithium batteries over five years!
Brief Comparison Table
Feature | Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) | Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) |
Energy Density (Wh/kg) | 90-160 | 150-220 |
Cycle Life | 2000-4000 cycles | 1000-2000 cycles |
Cost | Moderate | High |
Weight | Lighter | Lighter |
Charge Efficiency | 95-98% | 90-95% |
Discharge Rate | Moderate | Fast |
Environmental Impact | Low (eco-friendly materials) | Moderate (contains heavy metals) |
Thermal Stability | High | Moderate |
Maintenance | Low (maintenance-free) | Low (maintenance-free) |
Typical Applications | Golf cart, ESS, Marine、Forklift | Leisure Battery、Industrial Battery |
Main battery types for AGV AMR systems
LFP battery
- Advantages: long cycle life, high safety, relatively low cost
- Disadvantages: relatively low energy density, poor low-temperature performance
- Applications: 24V 50Ah battery For Trolley-type and 48V 200Ah battery for towed automated guided vehicles.
NMC battery
- Advantages: high energy density, good low-temperature performance, fast charging,
- Disadvantages: high cost, relatively low safety, short cycle life
- Applications: warehouses, logistics centers, etc. Most design companies choose NMC batteries.
Traps to Avoid
1. Underestimating power requirements
Selecting a battery with insufficient capacity can lead to frequent charging and reduced operating efficiency, thus increasing operating costs.
2. Ignoring environmental factors
- Temperature: Both high and low temperatures will affect the performance of the battery, and the performance of the battery will gradually show up with more and more time. For example, LFP batteries perform well at high temperatures; NMC batteries, on the contrary, lead-acid batteries, can not withstand high or low temperatures.
- Environment: Indoors and outdoors have a more significant impact, so you must consider humidity, dust, and temperature fluctuations.
- Efficiency: Optimizing your fleet with fast-charging batteries or using replaceable battery packs can minimize downtime and keep operations running smoothly.
3. Developing new batteries
Using commercially available generic batteries instead of customized solutions does not meet specific load or space requirements.
4. AGV/AMR Battery Customization
Customized battery solutions can be designed with parameters such as voltage, capacity, and shape to meet the unique needs of your AGV/ AMR system to ensure optimal performance of your robotic system for improved performance, efficiency, and longevity.
Conclusion
Since AGV lithium batteries are a highly customized product, there is no uniform standard for the time being (size, shape, form material, discharge multiplier, communication protocols, and plug-ins are all different); in addition to product performance considerations, the battery manufacturer’s ability to customize as well as subsequent after-sales maintenance capabilities are all things that AGV/AMR companies need to consider carefully during the process of choosing the proper manufacturer.
We hope this AGV Battery Buyer’s Guide will help you make the most informed lithium battery purchasing decision.
If you have any other questions, please comment below or message us, and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
