August 27, 2020: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on August 18 issued a recall of UltraFlex batteries by Ecoult, warning that they pose a risk of fire and electrocution.

The recall of the 48-4, 48-3 and 48-2 models has been issued to everywhere the product was sold between June 2014 and November 2019, which includes all of Australia apart from the province of Tasmania, and ‘international’.

It follows an earlier recall of the product in New Zealand, which on August 26 said was complete.

“The UltraFlex was not designed to independently protect itself or the user against excessive voltage, overheating, or excessive gassing when combined with other equipment in a system,” the ACCC said, which had a risk of fire and electrocution that could lead to serious injury or even death.

“Consumers should immediately contact Ecoult to arrange for the decommissioning and removal of the UltraFlex units by a licensed electrician. Ecoult will provide a refund and remove the units,” it said.

UltraFlex is touted by Ecoult as ‘the king of versatility’, suitable for applications where there is a need for high power and sustained energy. The battery is paired with a diesel generator and can be remotely monitored.

It is not yet known what prompted the recall.

Last month, East Penn said it was withdrawing its investment in Ecoult, its wholly owned subsidiary, “based on multiple factors including evolving market strategies and changes in the energy storage sector as well as streamlining operations and communications”.

East Penn bought the firm in 2010 from the Australian research organization CSIRO, who originally came up with the UltraBattery, a combination of a battery and electrochemical ultracapacitor operating in sulfuric acid with a high surface area carbon electrode.

This is connected in parallel to the negative plate and uses the high capacitance of the positive plate to solve the partial state of charge problem.

Ecoult had not replied to BESB’s request for comment when we issued this bulletin.