Schneider Electric has launched an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) that can operate with either valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) or lithium-ion batteries, allowing users to change battery chemistry without replacing the UPS. The company described the next-generation APC Smart-UPS as the industry’s first monolithic multi-chemistry UPS for distributed IT and edge computing environments. Customers can initially install VRLA batteries and subsequently move to longer-life lithium-ion batteries using the same chassis. Schneider said the system has also been designed to support other chemistries through compatible battery packs developed in the future. Picture credit: Schneider Electric