Viral sodium-ion flashlight works at -40°F and doubles as a power bank

After a successful funding campaign that raised over $20,000, a new flashlight is now launching on Indiegogo. What sets this new flashlight apart is the built-in sodium-ion battery, which is expected to keep the light running for more than nine hours at temperatures as low as -40°F. The manufacturer says that, unlike conventional lithium batteries that only retain about 15% of their capacity in extreme cold, this sodium-ion battery still has 88% capacity at -40°F.

The 10,000mAh battery can be recharged at 10 watts and can charge other devices at 5 watts, so it can also be used as a power bank. The built-in LED has an output of 2,500 lumens. The manufacturer also says the battery lasts for more than 3,000 charging cycles and that deep discharges are not an issue.

Price and availability

As part of the Super Early Bird offer on Kickstarter, the flashlight was available for roughly $60. On Indiegogo, the manufacturer is now asking for $73 plus shipping. It’s also worth noting that Indiegogo is a crowdfunding platform, so this isn’t a purchase in the traditional sense. Instead, backers are contributing to fund a project and take on the risk that technical specs may still change or that the product may not ship at all. Anyhow, the price is expected to rise to around $90 later.

In the video embedded below, the manufacturer explains why sodium-ion batteries perform better at low temperatures than conventional lithium-ion cells.