Sodium-ion batteries already arrived

[giscus[bot]]

Sodium-ion batteries already arrived

In case you haven’t noticed, we can already buy sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries.
For example, with a simple search on AliExpress we can already find sodium-ion battery cells in cylindrical and prismatic formats for consumer use.
Depending on the manufacturer, the advertised cycle life varies between 1.500 and 4.000 cycles, while energy density stays between 125 and 140 Wh/kg.
However, since the mass production of this battery chemistry is extremely recent, production efficiency (mainly yield rate) and capacity are still low, so you can get much better deals on LFP (LiFePO4) batteries for now…

https://pushevs.com/2024/04/18/sodium-ion-batteries-already-arrived/

[MaxH72]

Great, thanks for this update Pedro.
I had been under the (superficial) impression that cycle life in some kinds of sodium ion cells could be competitive with LFP, but looks like I need to do more research.
The combination of temperature tolerance, cost and safety are certainly good.
Do we know about internal resistance and heat generation - and do we know if they are more tolerant of high temperatures in terms of their degradation rates? If they don't need much active cooling but can still perform for 2,000+ cycles, that would be great for budget electric transport, e.g. mopeds, affordable small cars, etc.

[LITUATUI]

As it also happens with LFP - or any other cathode chemistry -, there will be variations. Some sodium-ion batteries will have electrolytes and anodes improved for maximum power density and cycle life (aimed for energy storage systems), while others will be built for maximum energy density and cost (aimed for electric vehicles).

Check this oldie.

The potential of sodium-ion is huge, but since its mass production is still recent, we'll need to wait a year or two to see how good it really is. The Chinese are leading the way, but soon European and Korean battery makers will also help to further improve it.

[rgornik]

AFAIK Nortvolt is already working with sodium technology to bring it to the market. I was also puzzled to see "only" 4000 cycles. Not long ago I came across information about 20.000 cycles.

Pedro, did you hear about Ca battery that could be used in the future in electronic devices and would replace current pouch NMCs?

[LITUATUI]

I didn't read anything new about calcium-ion batteries. I'll check it out.