Battery Shipping

[Dkoning]

According to update #5, Section 4.2 has been updated: we must ship the (2) 12v batteries that we received in the kit with the robot. We may ship any spares or take them with us. Why can't we take them with us instead of building a special box, adding 26+ pounds to the crate and adding all the special labeling to the crates? Below is a question and answer that was posted on the First Q & A.


Battery Shipping

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For at least the past two years, it has been permissible for teams to bring their 12V batteries with them to competition (with some standard warning for teams who're flying to plan ahead). However, as Last Year Is Not This Year, I'll ask: Can teams not ship their 12V batteries and bring them with the team to their events?


Re: Battery Shipping

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Per Rule <R11> and Section 4.2, the two 12V batteries supplied in the kit must ship with the robot. Any additional batteries you purchase as spares may be either brought to the event, or shippped with the robot.

[sanddrag]

I wish GDC would answer the "why" part of so many questions that come up. They never do.

[Alan Anderson]

I can recognize the reasoning behind most rules, even if I might not share it. But this one seems to have no justification at all. It's like requiring us to put a little paper hat on the radio modem.

I don't see how not following it can give a team any sort of advantage. I don't see how it affects safety in any way. And I don't see how it can be enforced. But it's a rule, and rules are to be followed. (Contrary to common opinion, stupid rules are not meant to be broken. They're meant to be changed, certainly, but breaking them is not an appropriate option.)

[Mark McLeod]

It is an issue with increased shipping costs for teams in general.
With the new crate specs and requiring a pair of batteries, our shipments will automatically be over the 400# of free shipping/drayage.

[sanddrag]

is this part of the challenge to get teams to build robots in the 100 lb weight class to avoid shipping overages?

[Karthik]

My concern with this ruling is for teams who are crossing the border. In the past my contacts at Customs have always told us to never ship our battery, as there is a good chance that any crate containing a battery will be opened for inspection. This can potentially add days to the shipping process.

That being said, the rule is quite clear, so we're just going to have to adapt.

[Ricky Q.]

This is indeed one of the most ridiculous rulings in FIRST this year. If they come out and explain a purpose for this, then maybe it can be more accepted, but otherwise this seems pointless to me.

Why make teams (especially with a very nearby home regional) ship their batteries in the crate with the robot? Is there some advantage gained by keeping the 2 kit batteries with you until your regional? It is so much easier for us (and I imagine many other teams) to just keep the batteries at home until we goto our regionals.

So now we have to build a special area in the crate for them, label the crate, and add 30+ lbs to our crate to ship our batteries 20 miles to Milwaukee.

Does this make sense?

[Dkoning]

Depending on which regional, the batteries could slowly drain and you would have low or dead batteries when you get to the regional. If you have low batteries and have one of the first practice rounds on Thursday, you may not be able to compete the way you want to til they get fully charged.

[Richard McClellan]

You could get around having dead batteries by buying more and bringing them in the car with you...you only have to ship the two batteries provided in the kit.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Originally Posted by Dkoning

Depending on which regional, the batteries could slowly drain and you would have low or dead batteries when you get to the regional. If you have low batteries and have one of the first practice rounds on Thursday, you may not be able to compete the way you want to til they get fully charged.

Batteries will not self discharge in that short a period. If you ship, charge them before loading them in the crate, if terminals are insulated they should hold a charge for several months.

[Team223]

I think this new rule is ridiculous. I still don't see any advantage to sending our controllers and batteries with our robot on the shipdate.
Our team usually uses the controllers and batteries to practice with a mock robot before the actual competition, our team does not have the funding to get more batteries and new controllers to practice with. I usually agree with the changes that FIRST makes every year, but this new rule has me puzzled.

Team 223

[vhcook]

I'm not sure that it is required to ship the batteries, even given the changes to 4.2. Section 4.3.4 on Required Crate Contents lists only the OI and Robot as mandatory. It says that when batteries are shipped, they must be packaged per 4.2, but it doesn't say that they have to be in the crate. If I'm reading the new wording on 4.2 correctly in conjunction with 4.3.4, then 4.2 is specifying the mandatory method when shipping batteries (i.e. in their original packaging), but they don't have to go in the crate.

[GaryVoshol]

Originally Posted by vhcook

I'm not sure that it is required to ship the batteries, even given the changes to 4.2.

Did you miss this in 4.2?

Each time you ship your robot, you must:
 Ship the two (2) Kit of Parts 12VDC batteries inside their original box or carton packaging.
Additional batteries can be shipped or brought with you.

That's rather emphatic - you must.

[auditt241]

Our coach told us that we need to ship the batteries in the original box it came in, packaged just as it originally was. Does anyone know what the layout of the box was? Styrofoam, cardboard etc.?

[zako]

Our team always shipped the robot batteries in the original box, inside a speically built compartment in our crate. Use cardboard, its the least you can do...