Battery technology has been getting better year after year, often with small evolutionary changes that increase efficiency and give us longer battery life or shorter charge times. Elecjet Technology recently released the Apollo Traveller Power Bank on Kickstarter, and the new technology used in this external power bank bodes well for the future of device batteries. Deliveries of the Apollo Traveller begin next month, but we were able to get our hands on a pre-release power bank for review.
What’s different about this battery pack compared to others that use Lithium-Ion technology? Well, the Apollo Traveller is the world’s first power bank to use graphene composite in the battery cells. Graphene is a form of carbon that consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, and it has some amazing properties. It is the strongest material ever tested, it conducts heat and electricity efficiently, and it’s also nearly transparent.
By putting graphene composite into a battery cell, internal resistance is lowered and conductivity is increased. What does that mean for users? Batteries using graphene composite charge super quickly (this 5,000 mAh pack charges in 18 minutes!), and don’t get as warm as other battery packs when charging. In addition, the Apollo Traveller Power Bank is the safest battery pack as it doesn’t swell or burn like regular Li-Ion batteries. Elecjet calls this JETSAFE Technology, and it gives the Apollo Traveler unparalleled safety as well as a charging efficiency of 95.37%.
So, what’s the big deal? Well, let’s say you have 20 or so minutes before boarding a flight, and your iPhone battery is dead. Don’t plug the iPhone in, as it won’t be fully charged by the time you need to unplug it. Instead, plug in the Apollo Traveller Power Bank and it will go from totally discharged to fully charged in that 20-minute time span. That’s the big deal.
Airlines are probably going to love the JETSAFE Technology, as it creates safer battery packs as well. You may recall the issues with the Samsung Galaxy 8s Lithium-Ion batteries, which resulted in airlines asking people to carry battery packs in their carry-on luggage so that spontaneous fires could be extinguished. It appears that JETSAFE Technology will make battery fires a thing of the past.
This pack is rated at 5,000 mAh, which will totally recharge an iPhone XS Max (3,874 mAh) with power to spare. That capacity is rather low, but I would assume that Elecjet wants to prove this new technology with smaller capacity battery packs before going for larger capacities.
The Apollo Traveller comes with a carry bag and a USB-C to USB-C charging cable. To test its charging capabilities, I plugged the Apollo Traveller into a 12.9-inch 2018 iPad Pro that was at about 83% charge. That iPad Pro has a 9,720 mAh battery, meaning that the best the Traveller would be able to do is charge it from fully discharged to about 50%. I was more interested in how fast it charged the semi-discharged iPad Pro and whether or not it generated a lot of heat in the process.
The Apollo Traveller became barely warm while charging; other battery packs I’ve used have turned quite hot while charging an iPhone or iPad. Using a GaNFast travel adapter (another piece of new technology we’ll cover soon), I was able to charge up a fully drained Apollo Traveler in 21 minutes. I’m hoping that Apple and other manufacturers start using the graphene technology in future battery packs to reduce charging times.
There’s still time to back the Apollo Traveller Power Bank Kickstarter campaign and be one of the first users of this new technology. Backer pricing is $59 for a single Apollo Traveller, and it will ship next month.
