Phoenix Battery Commander Pro BS1940 – Lithium-Ion Battery Storage & Charging Cabinet

VDMA Tested Lithium-Ion Protection | 199–569L | Intelligent Charging & Safety Monitoring

The Phoenix Battery Commander Pro BS1940 Series is an advanced safety cabinet designed specifically for the storage and charging of lithium-ion batteries, combining specialist fire protection, intelligent monitoring, integrated charging and emergency warning systems.

Independently tested to the demanding VDMA 24994:2024-08 standard, the Battery Commander Pro has been developed to help protect people and property against the potentially serious consequences of lithium-ion battery fires and thermal runaway.

SafeFort offers three larger standard-cabinet models within the range — BS1943, BS1945 and BS1946 — providing capacities from 199 to 569 litres and published total battery capacities extending from 7,500Wh to 19,000Wh.

Available with a choice of Key, Electronic or Fingerprint locking, the Battery Commander Pro is particularly suited to commercial and professional environments managing significant quantities of rechargeable batteries.

Specialist VDMA Lithium-Ion Battery Protection

The major advantage of the Battery Commander Pro is that it has been developed and tested specifically around the risks associated with lithium-ion battery storage and charging.

Applicable models are independently ECB-S certified to VDMA 24994:2024-08, a specialist standard addressing the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries and thermal runaway.

This is an important distinction from conventional fire-resistant safes designed primarily to protect paper documents against an external building fire.

For organisations where lithium-ion battery storage forms part of their workplace fire-risk assessment, the Battery Commander Pro provides a specialist solution designed around the particular risks these batteries can present.

Protection Against Internal & External Fire

The Battery Commander Pro has been designed to provide protection in both directions.

Inside-to-Outside Protection

The VDMA testing addresses the risks presented by a battery fire or thermal-runaway event originating inside the cabinet, helping to contain its effects and protect the surrounding workplace.

Maximum individual and combined battery capacities apply according to cabinet size and should always be observed.

Outside-to-Inside Protection

The cabinet also provides substantial protection against an external building fire, with Phoenix specifying 90-minute fire resistance to EN 14470-1.

This combination of internal and external protection makes the Battery Commander Pro particularly appropriate for demanding commercial battery-storage and charging applications.

Integrated Battery Charging

The Battery Commander Pro incorporates internal power outlets, allowing compatible lithium-ion batteries to be stored and charged within the protected cabinet.

Charging provision increases according to cabinet size:

• BS1943: 3 × 4-gang charging units
• BS1945: 5 × 4-gang charging units
• BS1946: 4 × 8-gang charging units

This provides up to 32 charging sockets on the largest BS1946 model.

Additional power distribution units can be accommodated through the cabinet's pre-wired system where appropriate.

The electrical requirements of the chargers being used should always be assessed to ensure the available electrical supply is suitable for the combined load.

Intelligent Safety Monitoring

A major advantage of the Battery Commander Pro is its integrated electronic monitoring and control system.

Rather than relying solely on the cabinet's physical fire-resistant construction, the system actively monitors conditions within the cabinet and can respond automatically when an abnormal condition is detected.

Temperature Monitoring & Automatic Power Isolation

An internal temperature monitoring system continuously monitors conditions inside the cabinet.

If excessive heat is detected, the system can automatically:

• Disconnect power to the battery chargers
• Activate an audible warning
• Activate an external visual warning

Automatically removing charging power can provide an important additional safeguard if a battery or charger begins to overheat.

Door Monitoring

Door sensors help ensure that batteries are not inadvertently charged while the cabinet doors are left open.

If a door is left open, the system can:

• Automatically disconnect charging power
• Sound a warning buzzer

Charging can then resume once the cabinet has been returned to its correct operating condition.

Siren & Strobe Warning

The Battery Commander Pro incorporates an integrated siren and strobe warning system.

In the event of an excessive-temperature condition or thermal-runaway event, the system can provide both audible and visual warnings to alert people in the surrounding area.

Charging power is simultaneously isolated.

Building Fire Alarm Integration

The Battery Commander Pro control system can also be connected to a compatible building fire-alarm system.

This provides the potential for an alarm condition detected within the cabinet to be incorporated into the building's wider fire-warning and emergency procedures.

For larger commercial and industrial installations, this can form an important part of an integrated fire-safety strategy.

Ventilation & External Extraction

Lithium-ion batteries can generate heat during charging, making appropriate ventilation particularly important.

The Battery Commander Pro incorporates an air exhaust duct to assist with ventilation during normal operation.

Phoenix recommends that consideration is given to dedicated ducting to the outside of the building, helping remove heat during charging and providing a route for potentially hazardous gases in the event of a battery incident.

Ventilation and extraction requirements should therefore be considered as part of the site's overall battery risk assessment and installation design.

Reinforced Adjustable Shelving

The Battery Commander Pro incorporates reinforced, insulated and height-adjustable shelving, allowing the internal configuration to be adapted around different battery sizes and charging equipment.

Each shelf is capable of supporting up to:

100kg

This makes the cabinet suitable for substantially heavier battery packs as well as larger quantities of smaller rechargeable batteries.

Reinforced Multipoint Locking

The cabinet doors incorporate an advanced reinforced multipoint locking system.

Combined with the substantial cabinet construction, this helps maintain the integrity of the enclosure during a serious battery incident while also restricting unauthorised access during normal use.

Fire-Resistant Construction

The Battery Commander Pro uses substantial double-wall construction incorporating Phoenix's specialist Styronite F fire-resistant insulation.

This provides resistance to heat and fire while contributing to the cabinet's overall structural integrity.

The cabinet has also undergone a 9.1 metre fire and impact drop test, assessing its ability to withstand the type of impact that could occur if it fell through the burning floors of a building during a serious fire.

Four High-Capacity Models

SafeFort offers the four larger standard-cabinet models within the Battery Commander Pro range.

When selecting a cabinet, customers should consider not only the physical size and quantity of their batteries, but also their individual Wh rating, combined total Wh capacity, weight and charging requirements.

Key, Electronic or Fingerprint Locking

Each SafeFort model is available with a choice of three locking systems.

Key Lock – K

A high-quality mechanical Key Lock supplied with two keys, providing simple and straightforward access without codes or electronic programming.

Electronic Lock – E

An advanced Electronic Lock providing convenient keyless access with features including:

• Clear LED display
• Dual Control
• Hidden Code
• Scrambled Code

An optional upgrade is available to provide multiple-user and audit-trail functionality, making the Electronic version particularly appropriate for managed commercial environments.

Fingerprint Lock – F

An advanced touchscreen keypad and biometric locking system providing:

• Fingerprint access
• Up to 32 fingerprints
• Clear LED display
• Battery indicator
• Internal alarm
• Multiple User Codes
• Dual Mode
• Hidden Code
• Scrambled Code

The Fingerprint version is particularly useful where several authorised members of staff require convenient access without sharing a single code or physical key.

Optional Enhanced Monitoring & Fire Suppression

The Battery Commander Pro can be further enhanced with additional safety equipment.

Safe Monitor

The optional Phoenix Safe Monitor provides additional monitoring of temperature and humidity, with connectivity to a mobile app and configurable alerts.

This can provide early notification if internal conditions exceed predetermined limits.

Fire Suppression

An optional specialist condensed-aerosol fire-suppression system is also available, providing an additional layer of protection in the event of a lithium-ion battery incident.

The appropriate combination of monitoring, alarm integration, ventilation and fire suppression should be determined as part of the customer's wider battery fire-risk assessment.

Emergency-Removal Plinth

The Battery Commander Pro incorporates a substantial base plinth to assist with positioning and movement of the cabinet.

The plinth can also assist emergency removal where this forms part of an appropriate and safely managed emergency procedure.

A removable front cover provides a clean professional appearance during normal use.

Typical Applications

The Phoenix Battery Commander Pro is particularly suited to organisations storing and charging significant quantities of rechargeable batteries, including:

• Power tool batteries
• E-bike batteries
• E-scooter batteries
• Grounds-maintenance equipment
• Battery-powered cleaning equipment
• Drones and surveying equipment
• Professional photographic equipment
• IT and communications equipment
• Warehouse and logistics equipment
• Maintenance and engineering equipment
• Fleet and facilities-management batteries

Typical environments include workshops, warehouses, maintenance departments, construction businesses, educational establishments, vehicle and equipment fleets and industrial premises.

SafeFort Recommendation

The Phoenix Battery Commander Pro BS1940 represents the highest level of specialist lithium-ion battery protection within SafeFort's Phoenix range.

Its principal advantage over a conventional fire-resistant storage cabinet is its specialist approach to lithium-ion battery fire and thermal-runaway risk, combining fire-resistant construction with integrated charging, temperature monitoring, automatic power isolation, door monitoring, siren and strobe warnings and the ability to integrate with a wider building fire-alarm system.

The BS1943 provides an excellent starting point for larger commercial battery inventories, with 199 litres of storage and a maximum combined battery capacity of 7,500Wh. The BS1945 increases this to 307 litres of storage and up to 12,500Wh combined battery capacity.

For the largest installations, the BS1946 provides an impressive 569 litres of storage, with Phoenix-published test capacities of up to 4,750Wh for an individual battery and 19,000Wh combined.

When selecting the appropriate model, SafeFort recommends considering battery energy capacity as well as physical cabinet size. The number of batteries that physically fit inside a cabinet should not be used on its own to determine a safe storage or charging capacity.

For organisations where lithium-ion battery safety forms an important part of their workplace fire-risk strategy, the Battery Commander Pro provides a sophisticated combination of specialist fire protection, controlled charging and active safety monitoring.

The cabinet should form part of a wider lithium-ion battery safety strategy incorporating appropriate battery inspection, charging procedures, ventilation, fire-risk assessment and emergency planning.

Certification and maximum permitted battery capacities vary by model. The BS1946 capacity figures are based on Phoenix's published test data; where VDMA/ECB-S certification is a specific requirement, the current certification status of the selected model should be confirmed before purchase.