In 2025, robots have fully penetrated various fields such as industrial manufacturing, logistics and warehousing, medical services, and home life, and have already become a key driving force for the development of various industries. As the “power core” of robots, the performance of batteries directly affects the working efficiency and service life of robots. To ensure the procurement of suitable and high-quality robot batteries, asking precise questions to suppliers is an essential and crucial step. Next, we will provide you with a detailed analysis of the 7 core questions that must be posed to suppliers during the procurement process.
1.How to accurately evaluate the battery endurance performance?
1.1Practical considerations for the endurance duration
Ask the supplier about the battery’s endurance duration under a specific robot model and standard workload. Take a service robot as an example. When it continuously conducts indoor patrols and simultaneously has high-frequency information interactions with users, how long can the battery maintain stable operation? Clearly grasping this data helps purchasers accurately assess the operation time efficiency of the robot according to the actual working scenarios, and effectively avoids a significant reduction in work efficiency caused by frequent charging.
1.2 The impact of different battery technologies on endurance
Currently, battery technologies are constantly being innovated. Comparing advanced lithium-polymer battery with traditional lead-acid batteries, lithium polymer batteries, due to their high energy density characteristics, can often provide robots with more durable endurance capabilities under the same volume and weight conditions, significantly increasing the working time and activity range of the robots.
2.How to measure the battery charging rate?
2.1 The key significance of the charging duration
When communicating with the supplier, it is necessary to clearly understand the time required for the battery to charge from a low battery level to a full charge, and at the same time confirm whether the battery supports fast charging technology. For example, some new batteries, with the help of advanced fast charging technology, can complete the battery replenishment within just 1 to 2 hours, while ordinary batteries may take 4 to 6 hours to reach a full charge state.
2.2The advantages of fast charging technology in specific scenarios
For scenarios such as logistics and warehousing where robots are used intensively, the fast charging function can greatly reduce the robot’s downtime for charging, enabling it to be put into tasks such as cargo handling and sorting more quickly, thus significantly improving the efficiency of the entire logistics operation process and creating more economic benefits for enterprises.
3.How to define the battery service life and the number of charge-discharge cycles?
3.1 The close connection between service life and cost
When negotiating with the supplier, it is essential to ask in detail about the expected service life of the battery under normal use and following the standard maintenance process, and at the same time clarify the number of charge-discharge cycles it can withstand. Generally speaking, high-quality lithium batteries robots, with their stable chemical structure and excellent material properties, can have more than 1000 charge-discharge cycles.
3.2The profound impact of the number of charge-discharge cycles on long-term operation
For enterprises that rely on robots for long-term business operations, batteries with a high number of charge-discharge cycles can effectively reduce long-term operation costs. It not only reduces the direct expenses incurred by frequently purchasing new batteries but also avoids the potential economic losses caused by the robot downtime due to battery replacement.
4. What are the battery safety protection mechanisms?
4.1The crucial role of multiple safety mechanisms
When purchasing batteries, it is necessary to thoroughly understand from the supplier whether the battery is equipped with multiple safety mechanisms such as perfect overcharge protection, over-discharge protection, and overheating protection. For example, some advanced battery products have built-in intelligent chips. This chip can monitor the charging and discharging status of the battery and temperature changes in real-time. Once an abnormal situation is detected, it can quickly and automatically cut off the circuit, fundamentally preventing serious safety accidents such as battery fires and explosions.
4.2The important reference value of safety certifications
Finding out whether the battery has obtained international authoritative safety certifications such as UL certification is also an important reference basis for measuring the safety of the battery. Batteries that have passed authoritative certifications have strictly adhered to a series of international safety standards during the design and production processes, and their quality and safety are more guaranteed.
5. How to ensure the battery compatibility?
5.1Strict requirements for compatibility parameters
Due to differences in functional positioning, design structures, and electrical parameters, different models of robots have specific and strict requirements for key parameters of batteries, such as robot battery size, interface, and voltage. Before purchasing a battery, it is necessary to carefully confirm with the supplier whether the size of the provided battery is precisely compatible with the robot’s battery compartment, whether the interface type is fully compatible with the robot’s charging interface, and whether the voltage parameter conforms to the robot’s rated operating voltage range.
5.2 The necessity of customized compatibility
For some robots with special functional requirements or customized designs, they often need to be equipped with batteries of special specifications. At this time, whether the supplier can provide personalized compatibility solutions becomes the key to ensuring the stable operation of the robot.
6.How to evaluate the environmental performance of the battery?
6.1The usage of environmentally friendly materials
With the continuous improvement of environmental awareness, the environmental performance of batteries has received increasing attention. When making a purchase, it is necessary to ask the supplier whether environmentally friendly materials are used in the production process of the battery. For example, find out whether non-toxic and harmless raw materials are used, and what proportion these materials account for in the entire battery production process.
6.2The recycling and disposal plan for used batteries
At the same time, it is also crucial to clarify the robot battery supplier’s recycling and disposal plan for used batteries. Excellent suppliers will establish a complete recycling system for used batteries to ensure that used batteries can be properly recycled, disassembled, and reused, thereby effectively reducing the environmental pollution caused by batteries and helping enterprises implement the concept of sustainable development.
7.Is the supplier’s after-sales service and technical support in place?
7.1The importance of comprehensive after-sales service
High-quality after-sales service and technical support are a powerful guarantee during the use of batteries. When making a purchase, it is necessary to understand in detail whether the supplier can provide professional technical consultations, efficient fault diagnosis, and timely battery repair or replacement services. When problems such as a decline in battery performance occur, can the supplier respond quickly and provide practical and effective solutions?
7.2Clarification of the after-sales warranty period
In addition, clarifying the supplier’s after-sales warranty period is also a link that cannot be ignored. A clear warranty period allows purchasers to clearly define their rights and interests when problems occur with the battery, avoiding disputes caused by unclear warranty definitions.