- Saft, one of the first companies to obtain ATEX certification for rechargeable batteries
- New ATEX certified advanced batteries are the ideal power source for equipment in potentially hazardous environments
- The ATEX certified batteries reduce the time and cost of developing and testing products by customers
Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has launched its first off-the-shelf ATEX-certified rechargeable batteries. Available since June 2024, they are designed to power portable tools and devices in the mining, oil & gas, defense, agricultural and other industries, where environments contain specific gases or dusts, that can potentially be explosive.
“The new ATEX-certified rechargeable batteries are an exciting development. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can use them off the shelf to reduce the required testing and certification to bring products to market faster and lower costs,” said Tom Willis, Marketing Director for Saft’s Connected Smart Energy (CSE) business.
A further benefit is that they no longer need to audit Saft as a supplier. Instead, annual quality audits by certification authority, the French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS), will provide confidence in the quality of the products.
The key difference is that the ATEX certified versions have undergone additional qualification and assessment by INERIS. This required changing the design of the batteries to reduce the risk of becoming an ignition source by limiting their peak current output capabilities. In addition, Saft implemented new processes and production controls over a three-year period at its facility in Poitiers, France, to ensure consistency and traceability.
Previously, OEMs faced the choice of using primary batteries or housing rechargeable batteries in a flame proof enclosure. Both approaches have major drawbacks in terms of performance, dimensions, longevity and weight. The new medium prismatic (MP) batteries, of which there are four, are named after their dimensions, e.g. MP 176065 iex so that customers can quickly understand their physical footprint.
The new rechargeable batteries complement Saft’s well-established ATEX-certified primary lithium cells. These are used widely in applications such as smart metering, electronics, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, security and tracking.
