EnerSys has launched its new AlphaCell 4.0HP+ battery, a thin plate pure lead (TPPL) product designed to improve service life predictability in outdoor and edge communications network deployments across North America.
The company said the battery was developed in response to increasing environmental variability faced by cable broadband and telecommunications operators as networks expand further into outdoor and edge locations.
According to EnerSys, prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures and fluctuating operating conditions can increase energy consumption, accelerate battery degradation and shorten replacement intervals in outdoor enclosures and remote network sites.
The AlphaCell 4.0HP+ battery uses an integrated catalyst within its TPPL architecture to promote internal gas recombination during float operation. EnerSys said this helps reduce float current demand, moderate sensitivity to operating variability and improve long-term electrochemical stability.
The company said internal testing and previous experience with catalyst-enhanced TPPL systems demonstrated lower float current under elevated operating conditions, reduced water loss and improved performance retention compared with non-catalyst TPPL designs. Actual results may vary depending on enclosure design, system configuration and operating conditions, it added.
“As communications networks continue to push further into outdoor and edge environments, environmental exposure has become a measurable operating cost, not just a design consideration,” said John Hewitt, vice president, communications, Americas, at EnerSys.
AlphaCell is intended to be durable in hard-to-access sites
“The AlphaCell 4.0HP+ battery is engineered to help customers manage that reality by reducing exposure-driven variability in replacement interval behavior, improving predictability over life, and lowering the risk of premature replacement in hard-to-access sites.”
EnerSys said the battery is backed by a six-year warranty and is intended for distributed outdoor network infrastructure where long-term operating economics and maintenance access are key concerns.
The AlphaCell range is sold across North America for cable broadband and communications network applications, an area where EnerSys has been targeting demand linked to the continued rollout of 5G and edge network infrastructure.
