Tesla quietly launches Powerbank, a mobile battery pack for your smartphone

David Matthews

Posts: 437   +88
Staff member

While all the hype last week surrounded Tesla's new semi truck and the ridiculously fast Roadster, the electric automaker also quietly announced an external mobile battery pack meant to charge your smartphone and other devices.

The compact Powerbank is shaped like the Tesla supercharger monument at the company's Design Studio and features built-in USB, micro USB and lightning cables. The battery pack consists of a single 5V/1.5A 18650 cell which is technically the same lithium-ion cell used in all Teslas before the Model 3.

The battery itself isn’t that huge, only sporting a 3,350mAh capacity. This is about enough to charge most smartphones and tablets once. Road warriors and commuters who are away from a wall socket will have to invest in multiple Powerbanks or simply buy an external charger with a larger capacity.

The Powerbank is available now on Tesla’s online store for $45 which is actually pretty reasonable considering Tesla is a luxury name. However, there are obviously cheaper alternatives from brands such as Anker that offer much higher capacity at a lower cost.

Tesla is technically no stranger to external battery power as the company is known for the Powerwall, an external battery for the home. It was only natural for Tesla to miniaturize it to power small electronics like mobile phones.

Permalink to story.

 
"However, there are obviously cheaper alternatives from brands such as Anker that offer much higher capacity at a lower cost."

No kidding. Anker's at the same price is 20000 MaH, or about 6 times bigger. And they offer an even larger one.

Overpriced and underbuilt, just like his cars.
 
It was quietly launched because it has nothing that adds to the market besides the design itself, there is no additional technology in this powerbank that you can't find anywhere else (Different to their cars that distinguish themselves from the rest).

I want to second the Anker idea, they have grown quite a bit and they produce quality products.

@Techspot:
fixed a few grammar errors (a couple of missing words, missing period at the end of a sentence)
I think you just missed this paragraph.
 
I don't think they're going for anything groundbreaking here...Probably have a surplus of cells and figure they could get their brand noticed in another market. You don't think Tesla has the capability to make the world's most bad*ss portable battery bank?

It's a decent stocking stuffer.
 
I don't think they're going for anything groundbreaking here...Probably have a surplus of cells and figure they could get their brand noticed in another market. You don't think Tesla has the capability to make the world's most bad*ss portable battery bank?

It's a decent stocking stuffer.
If they have a surplus of cells, shouldnt they be using them for the model 3, which tesla keeps claiming is being held back by battery production? (ignoring the real reason, they cheaped out and rushed the production system and now have to work out 2-3 years of bugs on the shop floor, because musk doesnt understand the difference between hardware and software)
 
If they have a surplus of cells, shouldnt they be using them for the model 3, which tesla keeps claiming is being held back by battery production? (ignoring the real reason, they cheaped out and rushed the production system and now have to work out 2-3 years of bugs on the shop floor, because musk doesnt understand the difference between hardware and software)

Well the article claims the cells being used are from all Teslas before the Model 3. *shrug*
 
Over priced and under performance? Seems that Tesla is getting a bit of a reputation for this sort of thing, isn't he?
 
The average human at rest produces 100 watts of power.
Why haven't they just invented a charger that plugs in directly to your nervous system?

Much of the time, I'd prefer a system that goes the other way, something that plugs into my nervous system and gives me more energy would be something I'd pay a pretty high price for!
 
The average human at rest produces 100 watts of power.
Why haven't they just invented a charger that plugs in directly to your nervous system?

Yes I'd love it if I could burn some of my fat to change my mobile phone! Hey what about using an exercise machine to generate power for a phone? That would do it!
 
No idea why they would bother making this in the first place. 3350mah capacity for single 18650 cell is great but only if its paired up to produce at least 10,000mah capacity which is not big by today's standard.

it's worth noting that not all portable battery "power-banks" uses 18650 batteries. I have a preference for 18650-based powerbanks because after extensive use for years they usually stopped working meanwhile the 18650 cells are fine. I can just pry one open and use the cells for flashlights.
 
Back