Routing of Automated Guided Vehicles for Battery Management With a Focus on the Reduction of Waiting Time at Battery Stations

Qazi Shaheen Kabir and Yoshinori Suzuki

Transportation Journal, 2025, vol. 64, issue 2

Abstract: This research proposes a new routing heuristic for the battery management of automated guided vehicles (AGVs), which are used in many facilities for moving materials internally. This new heuristic, called the Minimum Waiting Battery Station (MWBS), focuses on reducing the total time an AGV needs to spend swapping its depleted battery with a fully charged one at a battery station. This total time includes travel time to a battery station and waiting time at that station. Specifically, this heuristic seeks the best timing to direct an AGV to a battery station such that: (1) its location to the nearest station is within an acceptable distance, and (2) the queue length at the nearest station is within an acceptable limit in order to reduce the waiting time at the station. Simulation models have been developed to test how this new heuristic performs relative to the relevant best heuristic currently available in the literature. Results show that the MWBS outperforms the best performing routing heuristic that is currently available in the literature for the battery management of AGVs. The paper also discusses the potential increase in the frequency of battery swaps and its cost implications when using this new heuristic.

Date: 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1002/tjo3.70008

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:transj:v:64:y:2025:i:2:n:e70008

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