The Bluetti was the first energy storage system brand to unveil a power station with a sodium battery. Following its line-ups of the much-excited LifePO4 and lithium power stations, the brand has surfaced the first portable solar generator with a Na+ battery.
| Update in November 2022: Bluetti seems to have dropped its sodium-ion power station the NA300. The brand has not yet revealed anything after its much-touted release back in January 2022 at CES. |
Branded as Bluetti NA300 solar generator, it resembles an EP500 and it comes up with an external battery pack namely Bluetti B480. The vendor is to showcase both NA300 and B480 at CES 2022 in Las Vegas.
Thanks to its sodium-ion battery, NA300 can offer better low-temperature performance, fast charging capability, and overall cost efficiency. Coming to the specs, the battery pack included is a 3000Wh unit and it sports 3000W power output and a solar charging speed of 3000 watts.
Bluetti NA300 Solar Generator at a Glance
- 3000Wh Sodium-Ion Solar Power Station.
- Expandable Up to 12600Wh with B480s.
- 3000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter.
- 3000W Solar Input and 6000W Max Input.
- 4800Wh B480 External Battery Pack.
Bluetti NA300 Solar Generator
Bluetti NA300 is exactly a copy of EP500 with a sodium battery instead of the original LiFePO4 battery. It has the same four AC outlets and other charging options, including a 30A RV port.
However, its battery has less capacity. Having a 3000Wh built-in battery, it falls short of EP500’s heavy 5100Wh battery. The difference is because of the lower density of the sodium-ion battery technology.
But, as you see, you have the option to connect it up to two units of the brand’s 4800Wh B480 external battery packs, which also resemble the original device in look. That is how you get a total of 12600Wh capacity.
What’s more, you can use Bluetti’s much-touted Fusion Box with NA300 to convert it to a 240V machine at 6000 watts. Full control of the power station is possible remotely on the brand’s mobile app.
What is a Sodium-Ion Battery?
A sodium-ion battery (NIB) is a game-changer alternative to the lithium-ion battery.
As you see, instead of the expensive and scarce lithium compounds, it uses sodium ions (Na+), which are abundantly available at cheaper costs.
The compounds like lithium, copper, cobalt, and nickel are the basic requirements for lithium-ion batteries. As you know, there is a big shortage of these elements, and they have also been recently witnessing price hikes. Meanwhile, sodium-ion compounds are rather cheaper and are available abundantly.
Besides the price and availability factor, sodium batteries can be charged rather quickly. And they can hold up the charge well in cold climates. Both these factors are indeed good for a portable solar power system.
However, with a lower energy density than its lithium alternative, a sodium battery can only store less energy per unit of volume.
The CATL Sodium-Ion Battery
CATL, the famous Chinese battery giant, was the first battery maker in the world to announce a sodium-ion car battery back in August 2021.
CATL is the brand that delivers lithium batteries for bigger car brands like Tesla and Volkswagen.
As per the brand, it would like to set up global supply chains for its new sodium-ion batteries by 2023. We are not sure if Bluetti has CATL as the supplier of sodium batteries for its upcoming power station.
Vahid Vee is a full-time blogger who is highly passionate about portable and off-grid power backup systems. As a keen observer of the global portable power market, he is really excited to share with you the latest trends, new products, and other developments in the market. #Contact Email @ veevahid@gmail.com – LinkedIn – Full blog profile.