←back to thread

Sodium-ion batteries have started to appear in cars and home storage

(cleantechnica.com)
160 points xbmcuser | 5 comments | 23 Oct 25 01:36 UTC | HN request time: 0.341s | source
Show context
president_zippy ◴[23 Oct 25 05:29 UTC] No.45678438[source]▶
Are there any better sources we should read for how and why sodium-ion batteries are better than lithium-ion batteries?

All I know is that the charge to mass ratio of an Na+ ion is less than that of an Li+ ion, and that elemental Na and Li are both highly-reactive with violent exothermic reactions when exposed to water. I need someone with chemistry or materials science experience to help me explain what the advantages are and how those advantages exist.

replies(2): >>45678453 #>>45678583 #
1. ViewTrick1002 ◴[23 Oct 25 05:53 UTC] No.45678583[source]▶
They aren’t better.

The allure is cheaper input materials, potentially very long lifespans and creating a hedge against the boom and bust cycle of the lithium market.

replies(3): >>45678713 #>>45678743 #>>45679107 #
2. toast0 ◴[23 Oct 25 06:11 UTC] No.45678713[source]▶
Cheaper and longer lifespan is certainly better for some applications. Less charge density by weight and volume is not better, but may be an acceptable tradeoff.
3. danans ◴[23 Oct 25 06:14 UTC] No.45678743[source]▶
> They aren’t better.

> The allure is cheaper ...

When it comes to grid energy storage, cheaper (while also safe and performant) is better, don't you think?

replies(1): >>45682288 #
4. jillesvangurp ◴[23 Oct 25 07:14 UTC] No.45679107[source]▶
Lower cost, safer, longer cycle times, better operating temperature ranges, etc. They are better in many ways. People obsess about energy density but that's not the only thing that is important. On that front the lower energy density is offset by the reduced need for costly and weighty cooling and safety mitigation.

For example NMC and LFP usually require complex cooling solutions with cooling liquids, heat pumps, hoses, etc. Peak Energy is planning to deploy a passively cooled battery in deserts. No protection from the elements. Freezing cold at night. Blazing sun during the day. Cooling solutions with all their mechanical components are the single most likely thing to fail and cause issues for storage solutions. Skipping that is a big reliability win and it reduces cost as well.

5. tim333 ◴[23 Oct 25 14:34 UTC] No.45682288[source]▶
Yeah but it depends on what is setting the price. The manufacturing process is similar for lithium or sodium so if that is maxed out you may as well use lithium. If there's spare capacity sodium may make more sense due to material costs, or for specialist low temperature uses.