Power Up Connect claims International Fire Code-compliant mobile battery milestone

US-based Power Up Connect has introduced what it claims is the world’s first International Fire Code (IFC) compliant mobile battery energy storage system, dubbed an MBESS.

The MBESS 90 kWh, unveiled back in January at CES 2025, is now available according to the company and has been launched it into the commercial market as the only mobile system to have secured a UL 9540 listing.

The unit was developed over three years, with the company noting that utility Dominion Energy sponsored the development to meet wider needs. Power Up Connect says the system can deliver up to 30 kW of output and weighs under 5,000 pounds (2267 kg), remaining light enough to be towed by a mid-sized SUV. It integrates 1.1 kW of onboard solar with expansion up to 15 kW and can be daisy-chained with up to ten units for 900 kWh of combined capacity.

The MBESS 90 kWh is patent pending and will be manufactured in Baltimore, Maryland.

The company positions the MBESS 90 kWh as a dispatchable mobile energy source for uses ranging from backup and emergency response to events, film shoots and off-grid worksites. It emphasizes UL 9540 and UL 9540A certifications as a differentiator in a segment it describes as “the wild west,” where many mobile systems were designed before formal standards.

“The UL certification has been the key to ensuring that our corporate customers can use this system in public settings. That’s what your fire marshals and permitting offices are looking for to approve a battery system of this size as the energy solution for those types of deployments,” said Mwamburi Mkaya, MBESS 90 kWh project director. “Before this system, it’s been the wild west out there in the battery world. There are several options available, but all of them were developed before any standards were in place.

Dominion Energy said it sponsored the project to broaden its emergency response tools and explore mobile storage as an emissions-free alternative to diesel generators.

A similar type of mobile battery is available from Swiss company emost via 50 kW and 150 kW options, while Sunwoda previously announced a full integrated battery within a truck.