We’ve been hearing about sodium-ion battery technology being a more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion for quite some time now. For the whole duration of that time, though, we haven’t quite seen any consumer product beyond prototypes and demonstrations. At least, that’s been the case until now with the announcement of the Elecom NA+ Sodium-Ion Power Bank.
That’s right, someone finally made a consumer-grade power bank with a sodium-ion battery module, which finally brings the promising tech to a wider audience. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either, with more and more of the lithium supply being siphoned off by the large batteries used on long-range electric vehicles (each car uses 17 pounds, on average) and similar larger-scale devices, as sodium-ion gives the world a more easily accessible alternative.
The Elecom NA+ Sodium-Ion Power Bank has a 9,000 mAh capacity, so it should be able to charge most phones two times over with a little extra juice to spare. It comes with just two ports: one USB-C with a maximum output of 45W and one USB-A with a maximum output of 18W, so this thing can charge compatible devices pretty fast. There’s a series of LED indicators at the bottom to let you know the remaining power levels, with the device requiring around two hours to fully recharge.
According to the outfit, the use of sodium-ion makes the power bank viable for use in temperatures ranging from -35 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius. That’s right, it can handle extreme temperatures without overheating, making it a better option if you need a power bank in rougher weather conditions. Even more impressively, Elecom claims the battery has a lifespan of 5,000 charges. That means, if you recharge it once a day for the next 13 years, it will continue to retain 100 percent capacity. Only in the 14th year will it start losing some of its potency. For reference, that’s at least five times more charge cycles than most lithium-ion batteries, so this thing is likely to last you for far longer.
The Elecom NA+ Sodium-Ion Power Bank also touts safety as a big factor for the technology, since they’re at less risk of fires from overheating and thermal runaway. Of course, they didn’t mention any downsides, although that’s something we’ll probably learn as more and more people get their hands on this tech. Something to note, though,is that this thing seems significantly heavier than their lithium-ion counterparts, with the power bank itself weighing 350 grams while similar capacity lithium-based power banks usually weigh in the lower 200-gram range.
Why are sodium-ion batteries a big deal? For one, sodium is a lot more easily accessible, being the sixth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Compare that to lithium, along with cobalt and nickel, all of which require the kind of intensive mining that can pollute local ecosystems.
The Elecom NA+ Sodium-Ion Power Bank is slated to go on sale in Japan, priced at around $67. Yes, that’s pretty steep for a 9,000 mAh power bank, but we’re in early days for the technology, so prices should go down as sodium-ion production gets bigger down the line.
