Melkus Mechatronic recovers braking energy in driverless transport vehicles.

Driverless transport vehicles regularly accelerate and decelerate in daily operations, for example at intersections, before transfer stations, or when entering storage aisles. In conventional braking systems, the kinetic energy is predominantly converted into heat during deceleration and is therefore no longer available for propulsion. In contrast, electric drive systems allow for the recovery of this energy. The basis for this is the functioning of the electric motor, which can convert both electrical energy into motion and mechanical motion into electrical energy. In regular driving operations, the battery supplies electricity to the electric motor that drives the vehicle. During deceleration, this process can be reversed: the inertia of the rolling vehicle drives the motor, which then operates as a generator. The electrical energy generated in this process can subsequently flow back into the battery.