All you want to know about AGV batteries is here!
AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles), are automated transportation tool that are automatically guided by magnetic strips, tracks, or laser lights and travels according to a predetermined path. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, AGV has become more intelligent and efficient, for example: AGV can be automatically charged to achieve 24-hour continuous work; data management allows real-time monitoring in the background to maximize management efficiency; advanced safety features, precise positioning, controllable speed and path make AGV operation safer and more reliable, which greatly improves work efficiency. Therefore, it is widely used in production lines, warehouses and logistics centers.
AGV batteries are specially designed for AGVs and provide the energy needed for AGV drives. Therefore, the performance of the battery also becomes critical, we often evaluate the battery performance through the following parameters.
1. Cycle Life: the more cycles the battery has, the longer its lifespan, thus reducing the frequency of battery replacement and lowering the cost.
2. Battery Management System (BMS): Batteries equipped with BMS can avoid problems such as overcharging, overcurrent and over discharge, and can monitor the battery status in real time.
3. Operating Ttemperature: The wide range of battery operating temperature can reduce the impact of the working environment temperature on the battery performance.
4. Charge/discharge Rate: charging and discharging rate affects how fast the battery can be charged and discharged, directly influencing AGV efficiency, especially under high-intensity operation.
5. Cell material: the chemical stability of the cell material directly affects the battery safety.
The main types of AGV batteries available are: Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries, Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries, Lead-Acid batteries and Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries.
Nickel-Cadmium batteries: Featuring nickel oxide as the positive electrode and cadmium hydroxide as the negative electrode , with a nominal voltage of 1.2V. They have low internal resistance, can be charged quickly, provide high current for loads, and maintain a stable discharge voltage, with more than 500 charge-discharge cycles. However, they suffer from memory effect if not fully discharged before recharging and contain toxic heavy metal cadmium, harmful to the environment and health.
Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries: The use of good conductive metal materials, the rated voltage of the single is 1.2V, can be large current discharge, no pollution, resistance to overcharge and overdischarge, but the cost is high, the charging time is long, the high temperature resistance function is poor, easy to cause heating and out of control.
Lead-Acid batteries: Easily obtainable raw materials with low production costs, but they are heavy, have low charging efficiency, long charging times, and a short cycle life (generally around two years). Lead, being a heavy metal, requires proper handling to avoid environmental pollution.
Lithium Iron Phosphate battery: the positive material is lithium iron phosphate and the negative material is carbon,with a single cell rated voltage of 3.2 V. Its advantages include: wide operating temperature range (-20℃~60℃), high energy density, long cycle life (100% DOD>2000), excellent safety performance, low self-discharge rate, no memory effect, and light weight.
AGV Battery Selection Guide
1. Operational Cycle: first determine the daily work cycle of AGV. If 24/7 continuous working hours are required, it is recommended to choose lithium iron phosphate battery with long cycle life, fast charging speed and high safety quality; if the working cycle is short and the frequency is low, you can choose lead-acid battery with lower price.
2. Load and speed: For AGV with high load and speed requirements, it is necessary to choose batteries with high output power and light weight, and lithium iron phosphate batteries are recommended.
3. Environmental Conditions: AGV applications in a variety of environments, such as dry warehouses, humid environments, low-temperature refrigerated warehouses and so on. Dry, humid environment suitable for lithium iron phosphate battery; low temperature environment is not recommended to use lithium iron phosphate battery. Therefore, it is also crucial to choose the battery according to the environment in which it is used.
4. Safety: AGV operation must ensure a high degree of security, so you need to choose a chemically stable, high security battery. Lithium iron phosphate battery is the safest lithium battery, equipped with a battery management system (BMS), you can monitor the battery status in real time to ensure the safe operation of the battery.
5. Lifecycle cost: When choosing AGV batteries, you should also consider the sum of the expenses of the entire life cycle (life cycle cost), including the cost of the battery unit, operating cycle, replacement frequency, maintenance costs, etc., so as to choose the most cost-effective battery.
Recommend AGV Battery Products
As an AGV battery manufacturer, we recommend our AGV battery products featuring PLB battery high-safety 26650 cylindrical lifepo4 cells, with charge-discharge rates of 1C to 3C, operating temperature range of -20℃ to 60℃, and cycle life(100% DOD)＞2000. They are equipped with intelligent BMS for real-time battery monitoring and protection against overcharging, overdischarging, overheating, overcurrent, and short circuits. Additionally, we offer customized integrated AGV battery solutions (cells + BMS + structure). Please feel free to contact us if you have any specific requirements.