The wireless evolution in industrial vehicles and warehousing

In the rapidly changing world of warehousing and logistics, technology plays a crucial role in the efficiency and automation of processes. Multipowr is a pioneer in wireless charging technologies. It offers an answer to these challenges with Buzzard. Indeed, Buzzard is a game-changer in charging industrial electric vehicles such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs).

The Buzzard product line, currently featuring the Buzzard40 and Buzzard80 models, marks a significant advance in the way electric vehicles are charged. These products offer power capacity of up to 320 amps, wirelessly. With advanced Bluetooth Mesh technology, they offer reliable and scalable communications as each AGV or AMR acts as a node that can receive, send and forward messages. This provides a strong network that adapts to growing fleets, and it also facilitates "instant wireless charging. Wireless energy transfer to the battery starts immediately as soon as the AGV or AMR positions itself correctly in front of the charging station. The AGVs share real-time data on their location, battery and task status. This not only ensures optimal vehicle coordination and efficient route planning, but also optimal business processes. Moreover, the network can be easily integrated with existing IoT systems, making central management, monitoring, maintenance and updates easy. This keeps the charging infrastructure easy to manage and allows it to perform optimally.

Advantages of wireless charging

"One of the most significant benefits of the Buzzard is drastically reducing vehicle downtime," said COO Tom Van Acker. "With 'opportunity charging' capability, AGVs and AMRs can charge quickly and efficiently during short operational breaks. This system ensures nearly uninterrupted working hours, which is crucial for 24/7 operational warehouses and production facilities. This continuous availability minimizes the impact of charging breaks on productivity. Buzzard's technology eliminates the need for manual intervention, allowing vehicles to charge without human intervention. This not only contributes to efficiency by minimizing charging time, but also increases safety on the shop floor. The system is completely maintenance-free thanks to the absence of physical contact and moving parts. This results in lower operating costs and minimal downtime. In addition, the lack of physical charging contacts provides additional safety in warehouses where moisture, dust or harsh weather conditions can cause damage."

Minimum Total Cost of Ownership

With Buzzard wireless charging technology, businesses experience minimal Total Cost of Ownership. Eliminating manual intervention, maintenance-free design and "opportunity charging" reduce the impact of charging events on productivity. They provide improved efficiency and optimum long-term cost-effectiveness.

Flexibility and scalability

The Buzzard is further distinguished by its scalability. "The wireless charging system can be easily expanded without major infrastructure changes, allowing companies to respond flexibly to changing operational requirements. In fact, both Buzzard40 and Buzzard80 can be deployed in parallel thanks to advanced Bluetooth Mesh technology. In this way, a battery can be charged at 320 amps. The modular design allows additional AGVs or charging stations to be added easily, allowing organizations to respond quickly to changing production and logistics requirements," Tom said.

Market leader

Ghent-based Multipowr, founded in 2022, builds on twenty years of research and development in wireless charging technology. Tom explains, "With a highly skilled in-house hardware and software engineering team in Belgium and India and with in-house manufacturing facilities in Hungary, we continue to innovate to meet the rapidly changing demands of customers and industry. Our customers, including large industrial and logistics companies, appreciate our reliability and in-house capabilities. They see it as a guarantee of current and future advanced technological solutions."

Absolute competitive advantage

With Buzzard, Multipowr offers a future-proof solution that increases operational efficiency. The Buzzard products are a testament to the potential of wireless technology to transform traditional approaches to energy management and vehicle efficiency. This provides companies with an absolute competitive advantage in a demanding market. "Buzzard is an indispensable element for our customers within the successful creation of a future-proof roadmap where innovation and customer focus are central. The integration of Buzzard enables them to excel in rapidly changing industrial environments," Tom concludes.