Lithium is currently the ruler of the battery world, a key ingredient in the batteries that power phones, electric vehicles, and even store energy on the electrical grid.
But as concerns about the battery supply chain swell, scientists are looking for ways to cut down on battery technology's most expensive, least readily available ingredients. There are already options that reduce the need for some, like cobalt and nickel, but there's been little recourse for those looking to dethrone lithium.
Over the past several months, though, battery companies and automakers in China have announced forays into a new kind of battery chemistry that replaces lithium with sodium. These new sodium-ion batteries could help push costs down for both stationary storage and electric vehicles, if the technology can meet the high expectations that companies are setting.
[...] Sodium-based batteries are not new, but technical shortcomings have previously kept them from taking on lithium. Sodium-ion batteries traditionally wear out quickly, and they still have a lower energy density than lithium-ion, says Shirley Meng, a battery researcher at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory.
That means in order to store the same amount of energy, a sodium-based battery will need to be bigger and heavier than the equivalent lithium-based one. For EVs, that means a shorter range for a battery the same size.
A heavier, cheaper battery might be preferable in some circumstances, like for the smaller, lower-range EVs common in China. JAC's announced range is comparable to that of the Wuling Hongguang Mini, one of China's most popular EVs, whose long-range version can drive up to 280 km (175 miles) on a single charge.
A somewhat easier market for sodium-ion batteries might be stationary storage installations, like those used to provide backup power for a home or business or on the electrical grid. Some companies, like US-based Natron, are developing the chemistry specifically for stationary applications, where size and weight aren't as critical as they are in a moving car.
[...] But if market conditions have opened the door for lithium alternatives, they could just as easily slam it shut. The fate of sodium-ion batteries will likely be "directly tied to the cost of lithium," says Jay Whitacre, a battery researcher at Carnegie Mellon University and previous founder of a sodium-ion battery company called Aquion.
[...] Sodium could end up in EV batteries in China as early as the end of this year, but the technology probably won't overthrow lithium. Rather, the world of batteries will likely continue to branch out and diversify, with companies developing more battery options for different situations. There are "nooks and crannies" in the battery market, as Whitacre puts it, and soon, sodium-ion might finally find its place.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 11, @02:49AM (2 children)
The Tech Review article doesn't say, but if the sodium in these batteries is elemental (not part of some compound), good luck avoiding fire. It spontaneously combusts with water and even in moist air... https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/1674.pdf [nj.gov]
(Score: 2) by Beryllium Sphere (r) on Thursday May 11, @08:47AM (1 child)
The article says "sodium-ion".
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Thursday May 11, @07:14PM
Sodium ions, like the ones in a salt solution.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 11, @03:59AM (5 children)
Just a reminder.. capitalism doesn't work with abundance. Scarcity is what supports prices
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 11, @05:26AM (2 children)
You don't understand capitalism.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 11, @05:42AM
I understand capitalism perfectly. Supplies have to be capped to keep prices from collapsing. Capitalism is based on how much abuse the market will bear. Pretty straightforward
(Score: 2) by DadaDoofy on Thursday May 11, @04:33PM
Yes. He clearly missed the supply creates it's own demand part. Scarcity is more of a marketing principle.
(Score: 5, Touché) by shrewdsheep on Thursday May 11, @08:13AM (1 child)
Which raises the question: Why were products abundant in the capitalist west but scarce in the communist east?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12, @05:25AM
Because the "communist" east is a closed market, only state officials can practice capitalism, they experience little scarcity, because they can pay the price
(Score: 5, Informative) by PiMuNu on Thursday May 11, @07:36AM
Aluminium is also an interesting material. Because aluminium ions have 3 valence electrons, in principle one can store Al^{3+} and get triple the energy density. This wikipedia article is a nice one:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium-ion_battery [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ElizabethGreene on Thursday May 11, @02:34PM
Desalination systems struggle with what to do with the salt-rich brine left after extracting much of the fresh water from sea water*. It would be pretty cool if that material could be processed for sodium. It probably doesn't make economic sense vs. mining pre-dried salt from halite formations, but a girl can dream.
* - Yes, I know. "Dilution is the solution." I grok.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DadaDoofy on Thursday May 11, @04:47PM (2 children)
When batteries' main disadvantage vs petroleum is lower energy density, why would we adopt a technology that is even worse in this regard?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12, @03:40AM
Simple answer is that $/Kwh is also a useful metric, for applications that are stationary. For cars and other mobile applications, then energy and power density become more important.
(Score: 2) by Muad'Dave on Saturday May 13, @04:49PM
I would willingly give up the space of a whole basement wall to have a cheap UPS that would run my tech stack (or the whole house) for 12-24 hours. I don't really care how energy-dense it is, I demand reliability and recharge cycles. I want a 20-30 year solution.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by istartedi on Thursday May 11, @05:13PM (1 child)
If the battery is heavier than competing EV tech, they should maybe forget about EVs and see how they fare in other growing electrical storage markets: grid, office, and home.
A non-EV battery might be just fine in those situations where the focus will be less on power-to-weight and more on cost, durability, safety, and ease of maintenance. Come up with a battery that weighs twice as much as what you put in an EV at the same energy storage, but if it can be safely operated in the home for 20 or 30 years before replacement at half the initial cost, you might still have a winner.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 12, @05:28AM
Nickel-iron is good, and they can last 100 years