Featured New Bluetooth Sodium Ion 12 Volt Battery

For Sodium Ion it doesn't really matter because the Sodium Ion 12v is capable of going to 15.5v which most existing 12v chargers won't reach. Which is OK because it doesn't have to go to 100%.

 

The only company I can find that makes Sodium Ion cells now in China is CATL. So it would be interesting if others make them. But CATL is already making plans for next gen Sodium Ions with greater capacity as good as Lithium and charges as fast or faster.

Actually there is another called HiNa. Could be that one too.

 

@PriusV17

Yes, CATL is one of the well-known manufacturers of sodium-ion cells. However, CATL produces several different sodium-ion cell models with dramatically different specifications, particularly when it comes to the minimum charging temperature.

That's why it would be very interesting to know which specific cells are used in the NexPower 12V battery. Without that information, it's difficult to draw conclusions about its low-temperature charging performance.

 

You can put your name on the list and when they arrive, Jack will notify you.

 

I did. I don't normally check my emails much on weekends. I did see his post here and assumed he had some in stock. They were in stock. I added all the items I wanted into the cart. When ready to check out. It was out of stock. It's ok. I'm in no rush to buy yet.

I will think about putting my 12v pack battery in the freezer for one week and then run some test and start up the Prius with a frozen 12v. But for now I don't have room in my freezer. But will think about that soon.

 

WHY would you put the 12v battery in the freezer? Not cool.

 

Because Sodium Ion is supposed to operate in extreme temperature conditions. There are drivers in the Arctic areas that have to drive too. Actually more temps in the US are reaching Arctic temps more commonly now.

 

??? Are you going to be driving in the artic? I can picture the Prius trying to drive there!

"Actually more temps in the US are reaching Arctic temps more commonly now"
Seriously?

 

How many people here have experienced 0f to -10f within the last 5 years? Just in the US alone.

 

Fewer than a generation ago, from everything I read. I've certainly experienced them less often this century than back in the 1970s-90s.

During a south & east severe cold snap a few years ago, a point was mentioned that while such events were becoming less common, so were people's memories of and preparations for them, so for large numbers of people they seemed worse. Severe cold waves that used to happen about once every 4 to 5 years, had diminished to once every 20-ish years. Almost a whole generation of people had grown during that time, and thus had no memory of it getting that cold before. And a lot more building construction as getting cold-tested for the first time.

 

I think I took a screenshot of the US in subzero temps from 5 years ago. I'm trying to look for it. It was showing -10f in some areas. A big chunk of the US was frozen. Some as far low as Texas.

 

This is a screen shot of how hot the Arctic got just last week. Red is in the 90's.

Live views here:

Windy: Wind map & weather forecast

 

You know it cycles, right?????

 

It should work. However, the issue is that the charging temperature range is often much more limited than the discharging temperature range. For example, a cell may be rated for charging only above 23°F (−5°C), while it can be discharged down to −22°F (−30°C).

Because of this, when a manufacturer simply states "Operating temperature: −22°F to 140°F", that is not the full story. In many cases, they are referring primarily to the discharging temperature range and using the term "operating temperature" somewhat loosely.

The more accurate specification would be something like:

• Discharging temperature: −22°F to 140°F
• Charging temperature: 23°F to 140°F

The charging temperature limit is a fundamental characteristic of the cell chemistry. Therefore, a generic "operating temperature" specification does not provide enough information by itself.

For example, CATL produces many different cell types, and not all of their datasheets specify the charging temperature range. The cells for which they provide detailed charging specifications are often among their more expensive products.

Coming back to your test: what you can realistically test is discharge performance after the battery has been kept in a freezer. The battery should still function normally for discharge. However, you cannot properly verify the low-temperature charging capability simply by setting your BMS charging threshold to −40°F. To evaluate charging performance at low temperatures, you would need to perform repeated charge/discharge cycles and then analyze whether the cell chemistry has degraded, by how much, and what capacity remains afterward.

That is why we need the actual cell specifications for the cells used inside the NexPower 12V battery, including the manufacturer's stated charging temperature limits.

 

This tester states their sodium ion battery can be charged at -20C (-4F). I think that is normal for Sodium Ion in general.

https://en.highstar.com/blog/cold-weather-battery-lies-sodium-ion-minus-40c-claims-exposed-truth

"The charging situation is even more dramatic. Lithium-ion batteries can be permanently damaged if you try to charge them below 0°C. Our sodium ion cells can be charged down to -20°C without any issues. That's a game-changer for applications where you can't control when charging happens."

 

Lots of places experience much colder than -10F nearly every winter. In the continental U.S., it went down to -43F in Minnesota-Wisconsin this year, -38F in Montana last year, -39F in Colorado the year before. In my teens, I experienced -20F numerous time in a state that doesn't get as cold as those states.

Texas was hit especially hard in February 2021 because much of its electric and natural gas production was not winterized to levels they had repeatedly experienced in weather records going back to 1899. The lessons learned in similar previous cold waves were mostly ignored.

 

So, this is about their specific cells and the specifications of those cells, not about sodium-ion cells in general.