Batteries

Batteries are one of the types of Items in Astroneer which store power. When a surplus of energy is produced, it is used to fill a battery somewhere in the network, and whenever there isn't enough energy being produced to meet demand, batteries are automatically drained.

Batteries individually have their own input and output speed limits depending on their size; Small Batteries can absorb or release power at 1 Amp, which for reference is approximately one small bar every four seconds. Medium Batteries behave like three Small Batteries, at 3 Amps, and store and release energy three times as quickly.

Small Batteries
→ See Small Battery

After completing the necessary research, you can craft a small battery in your backpack's printer using 1 Lithium.

You can plug it into any slot on your backpack or base, including the backpack's widget slots. It stores up to 8 bars (or 2 columns) of power.

When placed in the backpack, it increases the total energy storage available for Terrain Tool augments by 320%.

Medium Batteries
→ See Battery

You can craft a larger battery in the Printer module for two Lithium after completing the necessary research. As it is a medium-tier module, you can place it in any medium-tier slot.

It stores up to 16 power columns, and though the charging/depleting cell animation doesn't show individual horizontal bars, if discharged it would fill 64 Small Battery bars.

Backpack Power Notes

 * In the current build of Astroneer, Small Batteries plugged into backpacks do not automatically discharge to fill the backpack's power. If plugged into an adjacent large platform or rover, the built-in tethering function will instead carry power from the Small Battery into the backpack.
 * Rovers, Backpacks, and Batteries have different actual power densities, and the backpack in particular has 25% the storage capacity per-bar compared to Small and Medium Batteries.
 * Consequently, a Small Battery plugged into a nearby Rover or Large Platform can fill the Backpack's battery more than three times before emptying, and when plugged directly into the backpack can extend the time for using Augments by more than 300%.

Batteries