Sodium-ion battery vs Lithium-ion battery
1991 is recognized as the year lithium-ion batteries became commercially viable. That year, SONY released the world's first commercially available lithium-ion battery. The industry generally considers 2023 to be the year sodium-ion batteries became commercially viable. However, due to the characteristics of sodium-ion batteries and their current stage of industry, their applications are far less than those of lithium-ion batteries.
Will sodium-ion batteries be able to completely replace lithium-ion batteries in the future? The answer is unlikely. This is because while sodium-ion batteries have significant advantages, they also have obvious shortcomings. Their resource and cost advantages are most significant compared to lithium-ion batteries; compared to lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries have a wider charge and discharge temperature range; however, the energy density of sodium-ion batteries is significantly lower than that of lithium-ion batteries.
Sodium's abundance in the Earth's crust (2.36%) is more than a thousand times that of lithium (0.0017%), and its distribution is very even globally and easy to extract. In contrast, global lithium resources are geographically unevenly distributed, mainly concentrated in countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, and Australia. Lithium mine exploration, construction, and production typically take 5-10 years, resulting in low supply elasticity and difficulty in quickly responding to market changes on the demand. This is the true reason why lithium carbonate prices always fluctuate significantly. After sodium-ion batteries achieve large-scale commercial application, their watt-hour cost will decrease year by year and eventually remain within a reasonable range with slight fluctuations.
Sodium-ion batteries have a much higher discharge efficiency than lithium-ion batteries at low temperatures (below zero degrees Celsius), and sodium-ion batteries can be charged with low currents at low temperatures without damage. Lithium-ion batteries, on the other hand, must be preheated to above zero degrees Celsius before they can be charged. Directly charging lithium-ion batteries at low temperatures can lead to rapid performance degradation and may trigger thermal runaway.
Sodium-ion batteries have a significantly lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries. Firstly, the radius of sodium ions is larger than that of lithium ions, resulting in slower kinetics during insertion/extraction of sodium ions into electrode materials, and thus a lower amount of charge that can be stored per unit mass or volume. Secondly, the standard electrode potential of sodium is higher than that of lithium, causing the charge/discharge plateau voltage of sodium-ion batteries to be lower than that of lithium-ion batteries, which directly reduces their energy density (energy density ≈ capacity × voltage).
The above analysis clearly shows that sodium-ion batteries are a better solution in specific applications. However, sodium-ion batteries do not have the foundation to completely replace lithium-ion batteries. Currently, many application areas have stringent requirements for energy density, such as consumer electronics products like mobile phones and laptops, and electric vehicles with high range requirements.
What are the ideal applications for sodium-ion batteries? Firstly, in the energy storage industry, especially commercial energy storage. Commercial energy storage has extremely high requirements for low cost. At the same time, due to the excellent charge, discharge temperature rise control of sodium-ion batteries, they can significantly reduce the complexity and cost of thermal management systems for commercial energy storage, and improve the stability and reliability of the energy storage system. Secondly, in the starting battery industry, the excellent charge, discharge rate performance, wide charge, discharge temperature range, and cycle life of up to 2000 cycles of sodium-ion batteries create unique advantages for them to replace lead-acid starting batteries.
Another frequently asked question is which are safer, sodium-ion batteries or lithium-ion batteries? We believe that no rechargeable battery chemistry is absolutely safe to date. Continuous improvements in rechargeable battery chemistry make thermal runaway more difficult, thus reducing the probability of it. However, it's important to note that the possibility of thermal runaway still exists with any known rechargeable battery chemistry. As long as the internal temperature of the cell exceeds the thermal runaway temperature threshold, the cell will face the risk of thermal runaway. For example, the solid-state battery chemistry, which we have high hopes for, has a thermal runaway temperature range of only 200-300 degrees Celsius. Once this temperature range is exceeded, the risk of thermal runaway increases dramatically.
Does this mean we are helpless when it comes to battery safety? While we cannot guarantee absolute battery safety from a technical standpoint, we can significantly reduce the probability of thermal runaway through excellent battery system design, efficient thermal management, and comprehensive data acquisition and monitoring. This allows us to provide accurate warnings before thermal runaway occurs. We can leverage our expertise in batteries to make batteries safer and more reliable - a commitment and safeguard that the DEFORD team makes to every customer.
About DEFORD New Power Co., Ltd.
DEFORD New Power Co., Ltd. is committed to design and manufacture advanced, safe and reliable lithium-ion, sodium-ion battery systems. We are veterans of battery industry, and our core team has more than 20 years battery expertise.
Thanks to our deep understanding to battery technology, battery management system (BMS), and expertise on mechanics and thermodynamics. With the assistance of our advanced manufacturing facilities and cloud-based manufacturing execution system (MES). We do have the ability to guarantee the high quality, safety and reliability of your battery systems.
For any inquiries about sodium-ion starter batteries, please contact us by info@deford.com.cn.