Sodium-ion batteries employ sodium instead of lithium, with the 60 GWh supply agreement concluding that the technology has reached the level of production.
How Do They Compare?
Sodium-ion batteries do not require the use of lithium or cobalt which results in a decrease in the costs of materials, while CATL’s Naxtra cells achieve the performance parameters of about 175 Wh/kg, practically matching such batteries as lithium iron phosphate cells. However, they still lag behind the batteries in terms of energy density parameters and being more complicated to manufacture. It is assumed that Naxtra cells can keep the capacity of 90% of their original capacity at a temperature of -40 degrees Celsius.
Are They Cheaper Yet?
Not yet because with low production volumes the prices are similar to lithium in 2025 and the company estimates that sodium batteries will cost the same as lithium in 2026, citing Chinese media sources.
Where Will They Fit?
The Chief Engineer at CATL says that the high cost of industrialization, lower energy density together with a non-optimized supply chain are some of the issues standing in the way.Early uses include light commercial vehicles and grid storage supporting strained power grids, with eventual recycling.
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