Safely store and charge batteries in the charging vault

Fire and explosion resistant vault of value

With increasing electrification in the energy transition, the number of batteries is rapidly increasing. This poses a major fire hazard. Seefion developed the solution: a safe charging safe. "The starting point is a vault of value that is guaranteed not to burst open in the event of an explosion."

Seefion founder Remco van Kuilenburg came up with the idea of the charging locker three and a half years ago. Kuilenburg's neighbor, a large dealer of e-tools, was then asked by the municipality of Apeldoorn for a safe charging solution for batteries. "At that time, nothing secure was available and converted liquid cabinets were used to store batteries. However, these cabinets only met the fire safety requirements from outside to inside. For a charging safe, it is precisely the fire safety from the inside to the outside that is important. In doing so, only the individual panels of these cabinets were tested, but not the entire cabinet."

Van Kuilenburg decided to develop his own solution. His starting point was a safe of value with hardware that was guaranteed not to open in the event of an explosion inside the safe. In late 2020, Seefion brought the first loading safes to market. These safes are equipped with twenty sockets with a normal 230 V connection and a smoke detector. Van Kuilenburg: "We delivered the first charging safes to the municipality of Apeldoorn. Meanwhile, we were also in talks with large companies such as New York Pizza. It has many electric delivery bikes, but could no longer insure itself. In addition, insurance company Nationale Nederlanden asked us to develop four sizes of safes to meet its specific requirements. We did that."

Extensively tested

The safes were tested by the renowned German testing institute MPA Dresden and have CE marking. "The safe has passed all tests with flying colors, including the lithium-ion fire test. Our safe is the only lithium-ion storage in the world that has been tested according to these most stringent test requirements. Any battery fire and explosions remain inside the vault." Seefion is further involved in Germany in drafting European regulations for the safe storage and charging of batteries, with TÜV, Kiwa and European insurers, among others.

Seefion safes are suitable for many applications. Installers are therefore increasingly being asked to include this in their work. For example, for a municipality that is going to build a municipal yard but also for office buildings. After all, more and more people have electric bicycles. "Then you see employees charging the battery under their desk during the working day. You really shouldn't want that as a company. This is also a great solution for schools. After all, a battery in a locker with a coat on top poses a danger. Especially with a cheaper battery or if the user has dropped it once. That awareness may start to come more often."

Seefion's charging safes are flexible in their layout. They fit both large and small batteries, up to a maximum of 48 if multiloaders are present. But there is also room for larger back batteries. Besides charging, the safes are also good for storing batteries. Because even when not charging, there is a danger of ignition. In addition, many batteries are stolen and these safes cannot be opened. They are equipped with a code lock, a multi-code lock or can be fitted to an existing access control system in a building. 

There are now four sizes of safes available and a new model will be added. The safes are supplied by a partner network in the Netherlands and Belgium. Interest is high, according to Van Kuilenburg. "We expect demand to only increase. Especially with the upcoming, stricter laws and regulations PGS 37-2 for the storage and charging of batteries. And the insurance companies are putting another layer on top of that."