Plug into instagrid
11 November 2022
New to the UK, instagrid is a German company offering a highly innovative portable battery pack that is designed to provide a grid-like power output, achieved by using multi-level inverter technology.
The business was founded in 2018 by CEOs Dr Sebastian Berning and Dr Andreas Sedlmayr, both of whom previously held senior management positions with the power tool manufacturer Bosch.
The duo saw the potential for a portable battery pack that could replace petrol and diesel power sources in the workplace and established instagrid to develop the technology required, including an algorithm that builds a sine wave through high frequency switching of the battery modules.
instagrid products are now being rolled out in the UK through a new subsidiary led by Andy Mead, who is Head of New Ventures and UK Country Head, and in the past was CEO of Firefly Hybrid Power.
The first product available is the instagrid ONE max. “Think of it as a portable power supply that provides you with a 13A socket and performs in the way you would expect a wall socket to,” Andy told me.
“It uses a fundamentally different approach. The traditional way to deliver power like this is to take a battery and connect it to an inverter. We have developed a distributed power conversion platform that incorporates a series of micro inverters on each of the battery modules.
“This vastly improves operating efficiency and reduces heat losses, enabling us to deliver unparalleled peak performance in a portable 20kg unit that can be carried by one person.”
The ONE max provides a continuous power output of 3.6kW with a peak capacity of 18kW.
This distributed system enables the batteries to be passively cooled with no fans or vents being needed, even at full power. This reduces weight and avoids ingress of dust and debris.
A 230V version of the ONE max is available now, with a 110V variant scheduled for launch mid-next year.
“230V units were used at the Secret Garden Festival in Huntingdon in July, including the day on which UK temperatures exceeded 40C,” said Andy. “We were powering welders and other equipment in direct sunlight.”
He said that a number of hirers are now stocking units and many more have expressed strong interest in the product.
The instagrid team is expanding and includes Neil Fitzgerald, who has joined as UK Country Sales Manager and has previously worked with Firefly, Prolectric and Hilti.
Other product developments are planned including remote connectivity allowing users to locate units and view usage data, and daisy-chaining of units to give longer run times.
