Energy cells: recharge machines and plan for blackouts
Recharge reusable cells before you need them. Recharger and PowerBloc depend on the nightly Power Service and stop charging during a blackout.
Quick answer
Recharge reusable cells before you need them. Recharger and PowerBloc depend on the nightly Power Service and stop charging during a blackout.
On this page
Power a machine
Inspect its per-night kJ requirement and the cell’s remaining charge. Put a compatible charged cell in its battery slot. Check each powered machine before sleeping: a cell that ran one small appliance may not cover the next production cycle. Reserve working cells separately from merchandise.
Recharge the right item
Place reusable cells inside a Recharger; a PowerBloc instead charges adjacent cells and machine batteries. Enable the nightly Power Service, then compare charge before and after the night. Disposable Batteries cannot be recharged. A Hypertech Power Cell is an output source rather than an ordinary stored-charge cell.
Reference capacities
| Equipment | Published capacity or rate |
|---|---|
| Energy Cell | 100 kJ |
| Energy Cell Mk. II | 250 kJ |
| Recharger | 3 kJ per night per cell; 6 with Commercial Power |
| PowerBloc | 2 kJ per night; 4 with Commercial Power |
| Self Charging Energy Cell | 100 kJ capacity; restores 4 per night |
A blackout is a sales event, not free charging
The energy reference explicitly says Recharger and PowerBloc do not charge during blackouts. A walkthrough’s profitable outage sale therefore requires previously charged stock or another functioning source. Keep enough energy to operate your own chain before selling surplus. Power Line Hijack removes the Power Service bill; it does not make a blackout grid charge work.
Check the margin
Compare an empty cell’s purchase price plus service costs with the current charged sale value. Confirm that the item is rechargeable before buying bulk depleted stock. If power is paid but no charge changes, check placement, capacity and the actual device; repeated waiting will not turn a Disposable Battery into a rechargeable one.
Sources & version scope
Sources reviewed November 01, 2026. Official patches establish the changes they describe; earlier community reports are not independently tested in 1.0 here.