Robot battery life: plan for the whole working day

A battery-life figure is a starting point for questions. It does not tell you how much useful work a robot will complete during your day. The buying decision needs a plan for operating, charging, restarting and dealing with interruptions.

This matters for a short classroom session as well as a business shift. A robot that is unavailable at the moment it is needed can disrupt the whole activity, even if its advertised runtime sounded sufficient.

Check which battery and robot the figure describes

Ask for the exact model, configuration, battery and conditions behind a runtime claim. Was the robot moving, handling a load, standing or waiting? Which accessories and software were running? Treat a figure without those details as an estimate to investigate.

For example, Unitree lists standard and long-endurance batteries for Go2, with different model references. That makes “a Go2 battery” an incomplete description when comparing a package or ordering a spare. Check the supplied battery, supported charger and written manufacturer instructions for the exact robot. See Unitree's Go2 battery page.

Likewise, Unitree describes the G1's battery life as around two hours, with qualifications on its specifications. That is a manufacturer figure, not a promise of two hours of your chosen task. See the G1 specifications.

Draw a simple working-day plan

Write down when the robot must be available. Then mark the gaps in which charging, checks or an approved battery change could happen. Include the journey to the charging point and the time needed to resume work.

For a school, the important period might be a lesson followed by a second class. For a laboratory, it might be a supervised experiment that must finish without interruption. For a business, it might be a busy delivery window with little tolerance for delay.

Ask the supplier to work through that timetable with you. If the proposed answer involves spare batteries, establish how many are needed, who changes them, how charging is managed and whether the robot must shut down. Do not assume that a removable battery can be swapped while the robot remains operating.

Include the complete charging arrangement

A useful quotation should make the equipment and responsibilities clear:

• Battery model and quantity supplied with the robot.
• Compatible charger or dock and what is included in its price.
• Charging time and any conditions attached to that figure.
• Required space, power supply and operating environment.
• Manufacturer instructions for handling, storage and charging.
• Replacement battery availability, price and warranty terms.
• Who deals with a fault and how the robot returns to service.

Have the supplier and responsible site team agree the arrangement. Use the manufacturer's instructions for the actual equipment. A generic accessory listing is not enough to establish compatibility or an acceptable charging procedure.

Measure useful output across the full period

During a properly arranged trial, log when the robot starts, when it stops and why. Record work completed alongside charging, waiting, recovery and human assistance. Keep planned breaks separate from unexpected downtime.

Here is a fictional example. A trial lasts four hours and produces 120 accepted deliveries. Its observed output is 30 accepted deliveries per elapsed hour. If the robot was moving for only two of those hours, reporting 60 deliveries per moving hour describes something different. Both can be useful measures, but only the first includes the whole trial period.

Do not extend either result to a full week without checking that the workload, charging pattern and support arrangements remain representative. Record what has been demonstrated and what still needs evidence.

Price the operating package

Compare the total package needed for your timetable: robot, charging equipment, any approved spare batteries, setup and ongoing support. Add the staff time required for handling and recovery. Ask for dated replacement prices and lead times; a spare listed online is not a guarantee of future stock.

Battery life also needs a review as the equipment ages or its job changes. Keep the trial baseline so that a later reduction in useful output can be investigated against the same task and conditions.

Our buying view

Choose around the periods when the robot must be useful. Ask the supplier to demonstrate the proposed operating and charging plan, then cost that complete arrangement. A larger battery may help, but it is only one part of the answer.

Robodromo can help turn your timetable into clear supplier questions and compare the commercial proposals. Send us a short project brief. For the wider budget, see what a robot really costs to own.

Editorial illustration: an AI-generated fictional robot, battery and charging station. It is not an equipment compatibility example or installation instruction. Manufacturer sources checked 8 October 2026.