New Sodium-Ion battery, potentially threats to Li-ion batteries?

[XTAR Light]

The Li-ion batteries have been the focus of energy storage for decades. The lithium-ion offers many benefits. It's the lightest material and haves the highest electrochemical potential. But it also has some downsides, such as shortage of raw materials, bad environmental impacts. In this case, the world's biggest battery maker, CATL, launched their first generation sodium-ion batteries in 2021. This new battery has relatively higher energy density, fast charging rate, better high and low temperature performance, sufficient resources. It attracts great attention from the lithium battery industry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts2vRBhj658

Some people think this new battery won't be able to replace the lithium-ion battery for a long time. And it will be complementary to the lithium-ion battery. Do you think it could genuinely revolutionize the future of energy storage?

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Various discussion of this technology on diysolarforums. Here's the latest:

Upcoming Sodium Ion Batteries

Seeing the discussion about these batteries start to come up. I figured I'd share what information have about these cells coming up. So far 4 manufactures have publicly shown off their cells. So far Hina, CATL, Higee and Highstar have announced their cells. Sadly I do not have full specs that I...

diysolarforum.com

 

[jtr1962]

The cold temperature performance is very impressive. 92% capacity at -40°C!

Cycle life is impressive also. 2K cycles and we're still on the development curve. Looks like they might be aiming for 5K cycles. As good or better than LiFePo4.

As for whether they'll replace li-ion, co-exist with them, or just be a flash in the pan, I'll take a wait and see approach. Certainly from an environmental and national security perspective they're much better than li-ion.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Hoping sodium-ion batteries are not too heavy and weather the storms of consumer use.

 

[3_gun]

I doubt the Li-ion batteries would just go away [any time soon] but if cost/performance/cycles are good enough would it be a bad thing if they did? It would really be a major blow to the CCP plans to corner the market on rechargeable battery tech/material

 

[jtr1962]

It wouldn't be a bad thing at all if li-ion went away. Sodium-ion looks to be eventually cheaper, have greater cycle life, have better low temperature performance, and have much greater safety. Sodium-ion's Achilles heel might be energy density. Right now we're at 160 Wh/kg. CATL expects to reach 200 Wh/kg by the time they get into production. That's on par with state of the art LiFePO4, more or less. The best li-ion are around 270 Wh/kg.

 

[Lumen83]

Lithium also has its fair shares of accidental fires. Is Sodium any better in this regard?

 

[jtr1962]

They appear to be:

https://faradion.co.uk/technology-benefits/superior-safety/

 

[KITROBASKIN]

That thread on diysolarforum is revealing some interesting information. It is looking like charge/discharge behavior is quite different than LiFePo, that current and voltage vary much more during cycling.