Schneider Electric has announced the availability of 230V models of its short-depth APC Smart-UPS line, equipping the range with lithium-ion battery packs to ensure that critical equipment remains online even in the event of a power outage. 

The 230V models with lithium-ion were specifically designed for the European market, as they are compact enough to deal with the limited space available and can handle mixed-use areas for IT systems. Schneider also notes that they are easy to install, access and maintain, while offering  an economic solution for edge computing applications and other installations inside and outside purpose-designed IT environments. 

According to Schneider, the new APC Smart-UPS line interactive models are able to deliver increased battery life for lower total cost of option. That’s thanks to the lithium-ion battery pack, which the company says offers savings of up to 50% when compared with UPSs that utilise traditional VRLA batteries. 

“Placing critical applications at the network edge presents IT operators with significant new challenges including management of greater numbers of equipment in locations that aren’t optimized for IT and lack on-site support,” said Rob McKernan, senior vice president, Secure Power Division, Europe. 

“At the same time, power availability continues to play a crucial role and downtime has an immediate impact on business. New APC Smart-UPS with Lithium-ion meets these challenges, providing resilient power protection with cloud-enabled remote management for edge computing environments.”

As expected from most modern Schneider products, the new UPSs come cloud-enabled.  This means users can remotely monitor their UPS or gracefully shut them down using PowerChute Business Edition. The optional UPS Network Management Card integrates APC Smart-UPS with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT DCIM software for simplified remote management. 

The new 230V Short-depth APC Smart-UPS Line Interactive models will be available during Q1 2020, and come with a full five-year warranty covering electronics and batteries.