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Sodium-ion batteries are going through a critical period of commercialization and Chinese cleantech giants are actively working on their products.
As lithium-ion batteries continue to become cheaper, making it difficult for alternative technologies to catch up in cost and scale, Chinas battery industry heavyweights are actively developing their sodium-ion products.
On November 18, CATL announced its second-generation sodium battery. Speaking at the World Young Scientists Summit, chief scientist Wu Kai said the new battery will be launched next year, four years after the launch of CATLs first sodium-ion battery in 2021. The first generation had an energy density of 160 Wh/kg, while the next generation is expected to exceed 200 Wh/kg. Mass production of the new product is not expected before 2027.
In 2023, CATL said Chinese automaker Chery would be the first to use its sodium-ion batteries. Last month, it unveiled its Freevoy hybrid battery pack, which combines sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries and is specifically designed for extended-range electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, with a range of more than 400 kilometers and 4C super-fast charging. The new design leverages the superior low-temperature performance of sodium-ion batteries to enable them to be discharged in extreme cold environments down to -40º and charged down to -30º.
CATL told pv magazine in late 2023 that it has developed a basic industrial chain for sodium-ion batteries and established mass production. The production scale and shipments will depend on the execution of customers’ projects, CATL said, adding that there is still much work to be done for large-scale commercial deployment of sodium-ion batteries. “We hope that the entire industry will collaborate to promote the development of sodium-ion batteries,” the battery maker stated. However, in a recent interview, CATL President Robin Zeng expressed much bolder expectations, stating that sodium-ion batteries are a better bet as they could replace up to 50% of the lithium-iron-phosphate battery market, which CATL currently dominates.
Meanwhile, CATL rival BYD says its sodium-ion batteries have made progress in reducing costs and are on track to match the cost of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries next year, and even 70% cheaper in the long term. The Chinese battery maker broke ground on a 30 GWh sodium-ion battery factory earlier this year.
However, the development and design of its first commercial-scale battery energy storage system appears to be already in advanced stages. A post shared by a company representative on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago showed a product called MC Cube SIB ESS. The product has a power output of 1,155 kW and a storage capacity of 2.3 MWh. Its nominal voltage is 1,200 V, and the voltage range spans from 800 V to 1,400 V.
Compared to the standard 20-foot lithium-ion container, which holds 5 MWh on average, BYDs new product will have less than half this energy density. However, it is expected to take advantage of the technologys low-temperature tolerance, long lifespan and increased safety.
A company source told ESS News that the product will be available for delivery in China in the third quarter of 2025 and will have a price per kWh similar to that of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, which is in line with BYD’s previous predictions of declining sodium-ion costs and refutes common expectations that the cost advantage of sodium-ion is only achievable when the production scale reaches a manufacturing scale comparable to that of lithium-ion battery cells.
Specifically, the lower cost of sodium-ion is primarily due to the abundance of sodium and low extraction and purification costs. Sodium-ion batteries could use aluminum for the current-collecting anode instead of copper, which is used in lithium-ion batteries, further reducing costs and supply chain risks. Other modifications are also possible.
On November 22, China’s Huawei announced a new patent for sodium-ion batteries called “Electrolytic Additives and Preparation Methods, Electrolytes and Sodium-Ion Batteries.” The company’s recent work has focused on improving the shortcomings of sodium batteries—such as low Coulombic efficiency and short cycle life—by optimizing the electrolyte formula.
The electrolytic additive includes sodium ions and cyclic anions, and the ring structure of cyclic anions contains unsaturated bonds, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. and Zhuhai Saiwei Electronic Materials Co., Ltd. explained in their patent application filed on May 19, 2023.
The electrolytic additive is easily oxidized and deoxidized and can undergo redox reactions on the surfaces of the positive and negative electrodes to form a stable and dense interface film, thereby inhibiting side reactions between the positive electrode and the electrolyte.
Earlier this year, Huawei filed another patent for a composite cathode material, signaling its continued commitment to investing in sodium battery technology. |
