Smarter power for medical carts

Global medical battery manufacturer Ultralife Corporation’s URB12400-U1-SMB batteries are now qualified for use with medical cart inverters from Tripp Lite and Ametek Powervar.

With this compatibility, medical cart manufacturers and hospital equipment specifiers that were considering traditional lead acid batteries can now benefit from the latest lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) technology.



The 12.8V 38.4Ah (492Wh) URB12400-U1-SMB, also referred to as the Smart U1, was developed as a direct replacement for existing LiFePO4 batteries and sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries currently used in medical carts.

While SLA batteries are known to poorly perform in cyclic applications, Ultralife’s Smart U1 battery can be fully charged and discharged more than 2,000 times making it a ‘fit and forget’ proposition in many cases.

The battery’s advanced Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) chemistry which is known for its reliability and safety has been combined with Ultralife’s Smart Circuit technology which works in conjunction with the inverter to provide the cart user with accurate real-time data such as available capacity, remaining runtime and battery health.

The battery also actively protects itself against abnormal use so cannot be accidentally over-charged or over-discharged.

“Hospitals are seeking higher levels of equipment availability which is why more medical devices are being moved onto mobile battery powered carts to improve utilisation,” explains Michele Windsor, global marketing manager for Ultralife. “Traditional lead acid batteries are just not up to the job as they have low gravimetric energy density, poor cycle life and cannot
provide hospital managers with the performance data they require.

“Achieving qualification from both Tripp Lite and Ametek Powervar means that the Ultralife Smart U1 works seamlessly with the inverters specified for most medical carts in the US and Europe. Both manufacturers provide their customers with advanced power management software that will autodetect the Ultralife Smart U1 making integration quick and easy.

“The Smart U1 is certified to IEC 62133:2012 which is the pre-requisite safety standard for rechargeable batteries used in many applications, including medical devices. It also meets the requirements of UN 38.3 (T1-T8) which is required for transportation.”