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

(cleantechnica.com)
160 points xbmcuser | 2 comments | 23 Oct 25 01:36 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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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 #
adrianN ◴[23 Oct 25 05:31 UTC] No.45678453[source]▶
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium-ion_battery#Comparison Has an overview
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duskwuff ◴[23 Oct 25 06:07 UTC] No.45678685[source]▶
The important bit is that sodium is much cheaper than lithium, and that translates into the batteries being less expensive per watt-hour. They're larger and heavier for the same capacity, but the lower price makes up for it, especially in grid-scale storage (where size/weight is nearly irrelevant).
replies(1): >>45679562 #
1. qnleigh ◴[23 Oct 25 08:31 UTC] No.45679562[source]▶
Isn't sodium also heavier?
replies(1): >>45680300 #
2. Two9A ◴[23 Oct 25 10:30 UTC] No.45680300[source]▶
> They're larger and heavier for the same capacity, but the lower price makes up for it

So yes, the battery will be heavier because sodium's heavier, but it's so much cheaper that you can afford the extra footprint.