Custom Battery Packs for AGVs and Mobile Robots

24V and 48V LiFePO4 and NMC packs for AGVs, AMRs and legged robots. Most robot batteries do not die of bad cells; they die of integration: heat trapped in the middle of the pack, resistance in the interconnects, charging in the cold and discharge limits set too deep. We design those out.

4,000+LFP cycles targeted with conservative voltage limits
<3°CCell-to-cell temperature spread we design for
15°CMinimum cell temperature before charging is allowed
CAN / RS485Standard BMS telemetry to the fleet controller

Robot platforms we build for

Reference packs are starting points. Envelope, connector, BMS protocol and current limits are normally adapted to your chassis and drive controller.

PlatformTypical voltageЧто движет дизайномСправочные пакеты
Warehouse AGVs and AMRs24V – 48VOpportunity charging between tasks, lift-motor peaks, telemetry to the fleet manager51.2V 50Ah AGV (1C, CAN/RS485)
АГВ 24 В 90 Ач
Heavy-load AGVs, tuggers and stackers48 ВLong shifts, high continuous current, fit in an existing battery bay51.2V 315Ah
Outdoor UGVs and inspection robots48 ВSealing, vibration, wide temperature range48 В 100 Ач водонепроницаемый
Quadruped robotsProject-specific, often 48VPulse capability and safety outdoors; LFP usually preferredИндивидуальный дизайн
Humanoid robotsСпецифический для проектаMass and volume budget; NMC 21700 usually preferred, with strong thermal controlИндивидуальный дизайн

Sizing an AGV pack for opportunity charging

An AGV battery does not need to last a full shift if the robot can charge between tasks. Sizing for the longest gap between charging opportunities, instead of the whole shift, often halves pack size and cost. What it cannot shrink is the peak current: lift motors and acceleration set the minimum power capability regardless of energy.

Worked example: 48V warehouse AGV (illustrative numbers)
  1. Average power over a working period, logged from the robot: 500 W
  2. Longest gap between charging opportunities: 2 h → energy per gap 1.0 kWh
  3. Usable window: 10% SOC buffer at the bottom and 3.0V/cell cutoff, plus 20% ageing margin → rated 1.0 ÷ (0.9 × 0.8) ≈ 1.4 kWh
  4. Peak power, lift motor plus drive: 4.5 kW → 4,500 ÷ 51.2 V ≈ 88 A
  5. Charge acceptance at a 15-minute dock stop at 0.5C on 50Ah: 25 A × 51.2 V × 0.25 h ≈ 0.32 kWh
Результат: а 51.2V 50Ah pack (2.56 kWh) covers the energy with margin; the deciding check is whether it delivers ~90A peaks without the voltage dropping below the controller’s undervoltage limit. Without opportunity charging the same robot would need roughly 100–120Ah for an 8-hour shift.

Five integration errors that halve AGV battery life

Cell quality is rarely the root cause. These five integration mistakes can cut rated cycle life by 50 to 70 percent. Full analysis: Почему аккумуляторы AGV рано выходят из строя.

Failure modeЧто происходитTypical integrationHow we design it
Thermal gradientCentre cells run 5–8°C hotter and age about 1.5× faster; the BMS cuts off while healthy cells still hold charge> 8°C spreadAirflow channels and thermal pads to the chassis, < 3°C spread
Interconnect resistanceUnder-torqued busbars add 80–150 mV of sag; false low-voltage shutdowns with 20–30% charge leftHand-tightenedTorque-verified busbars (5 Nm), cables sized for peak current
Cold chargingCharging LFP below 10°C plates lithium on the anode and permanently loses capacityCharge at any temperatureHeaters and BMS charge block until cells reach 15°C
Deep dischargeCutoffs below 2.8V/cell grow internal resistance and can halve cycle life2.5V/cell, 100% DoD3.0V/cell cutoff, 10% SOC buffer
VibrationFloor joints and uneven surfaces fatigue cell tabs; erratic voltage readingsЖесткий монтажDamped tray, foam compression, flexible internal busbars

Designing for peak loads, not average loads

Robots reset when bus voltage drops below the controller’s undervoltage lockout during a burst. The cause is DC resistance: at 200A, a pack with 10 mΩ of total loop resistance drops 2V and turns 400W into heat inside the enclosure. On a 24V robot with an 18V logic threshold, a cold start plus acceleration is enough to reboot it.

For systems above 100A peak we target total pack resistance below 2 mΩ at beginning of life, because cell resistance rises about 30% at 0°C and about 40% by end of life. That target drives the build: high-power cells where the duty cycle needs them, oxygen-free copper busbars instead of nickel strip, ultrasonic welds instead of spot welds, and parallel strings that share the current. Details: Конструкция высокоразрядной батареи для мобильных роботов.

Robot actionPeak powerAverage powerPeak-to-average ratio
Гуманоид: идти на спринт3,5 кВт800 Вт4.4×
Гуманоид: восстановление после падения4,2 кВт600 Вт7.0×
Четвероногие: связанная походка2,8 кВт600 Вт4.7×
Четвероногие: приземление в прыжке6,0 кВт+500 Вт12×+

Representative figures for legged robots. A pack sized only for average power will collapse during these transients. More: Батареи с высокой переходной нагрузкой для четвероногих и гуманоидных роботов.

BMS and integration

Коммуникация
CAN and RS485 as standard, so state of charge, temperature and fault flags reach the robot and the fleet manager. Having the interface is not the same as matching your protocol: send the protocol document and we confirm the registers before quoting. See варианты протокола связи с аккумулятором.
Fast current sensing
Motor stalls last 20–50 ms. For high-rate robots the BMS needs to sample fast enough to see them and tell the drive controller to reduce torque before a hard cutoff.
Charging contacts
Charge current, voltage and the handshake with your docking station agreed up front, including temperature-gated charging for cold stores and freezer aisles.
Chemistry choice
LiFePO4 for most AGVs and outdoor robots: safety, cycle life and low resistance. NMC for humanoids and mass-critical designs. Trade-offs: lithium-ion vs LiFePO4.
Стандарты
Industrial lithium packs are typically assessed against IEC 62619, with UN38.3 for transport. Which reports cover your exact design is confirmed at quotation.

Срок выполнения и объем заказа

Из фиксированной спецификации: образцы в течение 12–15 рабочих дней, когда элементы есть на складе, 20–25, когда элементы должны быть получены; изготовление за 30–35 рабочих дней. Из первого разговора о дизайне: около 4 недель для окончательного проекта без нового инструмента, 8–12 недель для типичного индивидуального проекта, 14–18 недель, когда идет сертификация. Как работает каждый этап: процесс разработки индивидуального аккумуляторного блока и наши производственные возможности.

Нет минимального заказаКогда не нужны ни инструменты, ни специальная прошивка BMS.
100+После того, как в проект войдет инструментарий или специальная прошивка BMS.
300–500Для индивидуально настроенных упаковок с сертификацией.

AGV and robot battery questions

Why does my AGV’s battery percentage drop suddenly during lifts?
A high current draw through resistive connections causes a voltage dip, and the BMS state-of-charge estimate jumps down with it. Check busbars for oxidation and torque, and check cable sizes against peak current rather than average current.
LiFePO4 or NMC for a mobile robot?
LiFePO4 for most AGVs, AMRs and outdoor robots: lower resistance in prismatic and 32700 formats, longer cycle life and safer chemistry. NMC when mass and volume dominate, as in humanoids, accepting tighter thermal management.
Does an AGV battery need active cooling?
For multi-shift, high-duty-cycle robots, usually yes. Passive designs cannot remove heat from the middle of a dense pack, and those centre cells age first.
Can the robot work in cold stores?
Yes, if the pack heats itself before charging and the BMS refuses charge below a safe cell temperature. For very cold, intermittently charged equipment, sodium-ion is also worth considering; see cold-climate batteries.
Can you build to our existing battery drawings?
Yes. Send the drawing, connector and protocol details; we review it and flag anything likely to cause field failures before we quote.

Send your robot’s battery requirements

Инженер отвечает вопросами или предлагаемой конфигурацией. Чем большей частью этого списка вы поделитесь, тем быстрее мы сможем процитировать:

  • Robot type and payload
  • Nominal voltage and drive controller model
  • Logged current profile, or average and peak current
  • Charging method and gap between charges
  • Battery bay dimensions and weight limit
  • Рабочая температура, включая холодильные камеры
  • Протокол связи
  • Годовой объем и целевые стандарты
Send your robot’s battery requirements

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