The first sodium-ion power bank lasts 13 years
The Japanese manufacturer Elecom has launched the first sodium-ion power bank on the market. With 5000 charging cycles, it has a longer service life than the lithium-ion models commonly used to date.
Research news about new and better battery technologies are constantly emerging. However, it is much rarer for scientific milestones to reach market maturity. This makes the sodium-ion power bank dubbed "Na Plus", which Elecom has now launched on the market, all the more remarkable.
Extremely long service life
With a weight of 350 grams, the sodium-ion power bank from Elecom is around a third heavier than previous commercially available lithium-ion models with a similar capacity. Its dimensions are also slightly larger. The Na Plus offers 9000 mAh and delivers up to 45 watts via its USB-C port and up to 18 watts via the USB-A port. It takes around two hours to charge and LEDs indicate the charge status.
The manufacturer's claim of 5000 charging cycles is unusual. If the power bank is charged once a day, this corresponds to a service life of over 13.5 years. That is five times as many charging cycles as other manufacturers currently promise for their lithium-ion power banks. The 1000 also only applies to high-quality models. The average power bank is designed for 500 charging cycles. According to Elecom, the Na Plus is also suitable for ambient temperatures from -35 degrees to 50 degrees and therefore outperforms lithium-ion models, especially in sub-zero temperatures.
Source: Elecom
So far, Elecom is only selling the Na Plus in Japan. There it costs 9980 yen, which is equivalent to around 60 francs or euros. In terms of capacity, comparable power banks are already available here for around a third of the price. However, when looking at the entire power bank range, Elecom is not out of line in terms of price. This is because the extra charge is usually due to a special function such as integrated cables or a MagSafe connection - and Elecom's power bank also stands out from the average with its durability. It is currently unclear whether the Na Plus will come to Europe.
The power bank from Elecom is the first version. It would therefore not be unusual for successor models to be lighter, more compact and cheaper.
Sodium-ion batteries: many advantages and one disadvantage
Sodium-ion batteries have several advantages over lithium-ion models:
- Sodium is available in larger quantities as a raw material and is associated with lower production costs
- Sodium-ion batteries are less susceptible to overheating and have a lower risk of fire if damaged.
- Sodium-ion batteries perform better at lower temperatures
Source: Elecom
At present, sodium-ion batteries still have a disadvantage compared to lithium-ion models, which makes them less attractive, especially for small mobile devices: Their energy density is lower. This means that they require more space to store the same amount of energy as lithium-ion batteries. This is why the first model from Elecom is such a speciality, but it is also larger and heavier than the usual power banks currently available.
Header image: Elecom
335 people like this article
As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
62 comments
later