With wildfires and other natural disasters on the rise, emergency preparedness is on everyone’s minds these days. Do you have a plan for your home and business? Portable power solutions are a smart investment to protect yourself against outages. 

At Power Up, we’ve been researching the latest trends in portable power. Staying informed is how we can create better products for you, our customers. 

One such development is the UL 9540a regulation. This important testing update impacts batteries and battery management systems. In this post, we’ll go into the specifics of the regulation and what it means for you as you create an emergency plan. 

What is UL 9540a?

UL Solutions, a global safety science company, has released a new test method for evaluating thermal runaway fire propagation in battery energy storage systems called UL 9540a. This test method helps us understand how batteries perform under a thermal event. Ultimately, this research helps us develop better, safer batteries. It’s one of many exciting developments in the portable power world.

How We’re Responding

Our customers deserve the very best. As part of our commitment to providing the highest quality equipment possible, we always stay on top of changing industry standards. Technology regulations change frequently, so we continually assess and update each of our products.

In response to UL 9540a, we’re expanding our Solar Charging Trailers to include an option that meets the new requirement. We’ll be updating the durable power station battery to ensure that it meets UL 9540a and is an even more reliable, powerful solution. 

Keeping You Connected

Whether it’s keeping you posted on the latest news or providing emergency power solutions, Power Up is here to help. If you have any questions about our charging trailers or our other products, don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Last month, we discussed device security, including a recently popularized scam known as juice jacking. If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s a form of cyber hacking that’s said to occur when devices are plugged into a public charging station, such as those found in airports and hotels.

While it's always important to protect yourself and your devices, you do not need to be concerned about juice jacking when using Power Up products. 

Juice Jacking: Fact or Myth?

Over the past few months, news outlets have been spreading warnings about juice jacking, sparking distrust in public charging stations. But, the reality is that these claims were not backed up by substantial evidence. 

In fact, it’s possible that there have not been any cases of juice jacking on a personal device at all. Some sources cite that these types of attacks only occur in specific, targeted scenarios, such as government devices. This means that your personal cell phone or laptop is more than likely not a target for juice jacking. 

Security At Power Up

Remember, Power Up products are not at risk for juice jacking or any related security concern. All Power Up charging equipment uses power-only cords, so juice jacking or data transfers cannot occur. 

If you're using a charging station with standard power wires, your devices shouldn't be at risk. The cables that connect a device and any standard power station are designed to only pass power – not data. That means that data cannot be sent from the charging station onto your phone or vice versa. Plus, if your phone is plugged into standard cables, it will give a notice asking whether you “trust” the device, just like when you plug your phone into a computer.

Connect With Us

It’s our goal to share the latest industry news with our customers so that you can stay aware and informed. If you have any questions about device security or our products, please feel free to contact us. Our knowledgeable team is here to help keep your devices safe and keep you connected.