Gadgets: Safe portable power

Safe portable charging isn’t optional; it’s essential. That is exactly what you get with BMX’s new SolidSafe portable power line featuring advanced magnetic solid-state battery packs built with safety at the core.

Inside each battery is what SolidSafe calls next-generation solid-state cells, not traditional lithium-ion batteries. SolidSafe states that the new design eliminates flammable liquid electrolytes, thereby reducing fire, overheating and swelling risks associated with other portable batteries. This new battery style will give you up to twice the lifespan of other batteries.

To demonstrate the safety features, unique BMX testing of the new batteries included engineers drilling a fully charged SolidSafe unit straight through the battery, with no smoke, swelling or ignition. The drilling, cutting and bending demonstration was stated to underscore the resilience of solid-state chemistry, which resists overheating, leaking, and swelling even when subjected to physical damage.

BMX stated on their site that SolidSafe batteries have significantly less liquid electrolyte than traditional lithium-ion power banks. This will reduce conditions that can lead to thermal runaway and fire. Testing showed that the stress that would normally cause lithium-ion batteries to ignite did not occur with the new design.

Among the new batteries is the SolidSafe 5K (5,000 mAh), with a single USB-C port and Qi2 magnetic (wireless) charging for Qi-enabled devices. You’ll get up to 15 watts of charging from the Qi2 and 30 watts with the in/out USB-C port. Two devices can be charged at once, and it is rated for over 1,000 charging cycles.

There is a full-color LCD display at the bottom of the SolidSafe 5K ($79), showing the output power and the remaining power in the battery. An...