this post was submitted on 13 May 2024
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[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (6 children)

I'm curious what the temperature resiliency is for sodium-ion batteries. I had a power outage recently where I was relying on a lithium-ion battery. As the temperature in the house plunged, it because so inefficient that charging a single phone overnight drained a quarter of the battery.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

It was slightly above freezing in the house, so definitely not operating at peak efficiency. From a brief search, it looks like sodium-ion does have a similar temperature sensitivity, though it may be to a different degree.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

If I'm not mistaken sodium ion is better with temperature and durability. The biggest problem is energy density, so they can't compete in any applications where size and weight matter. This leads to their 2nd biggest problem, which is that there's so much production infrastructure for lithium that no one wants to invest in new assemblies for other battery chemistries

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

They're meant to have a much wider temperature range than Li-ion, theoretically.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If I'm not mistaken, those portable power stations with AC inverters consume power even when not in use. You probably should use the DC output wherever possible.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

It has outputs through USB-A, USB-C, AC, and DC-vehicle (whatever it's called). I think the AC inverter was off, though I had been using it earlier. I was definitely charging fully through the USB-C output. Good point, though.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I've got some 20-ish kWh LiFePo in the basement. The internal temperature barely reacts to a forgotten window in a cold winter night. The whole thing is just many kilograms of thermal mass. Are you sure the battery temp was your problem?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Battery temp is certainly a problem. Hard to compare between y'all's stories what the issues are.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

What size? That sounds like a little 2000mah power bank.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (2 children)

That's the thing, it wasn't. It's an Ecoflow Delta Power Station, We tested boiling 1.5 liters of water off it and it used 15% of the capacity. Meanwhile, charging the phone overnight drained 30%.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That doesn't seem normal. Did you like use the phone all night otherwise it should charge up quickly and then not use any noticeable energy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

You would think, but we went directly to bed with as many blankets and coats as we could find. Just plug it in and let it charge. The phone has a maximum power draw of maybe 20W when speed charging. Not exactly boiling water.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I need to do some more formal testing, but I've found the discharge rate of my ecoflow to be baffling compared to my Jackery or a big Bluetti I have. My experience has been similar to yours.

Which has surprised me because in general I've only heard good things about them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Did you find it was connected to temperature or other drop offs in capacity?