While lithium-ion batteries dominate the electric vehicle market, there are continuing concerns about shortages of raw materials, costs, and extraction and mining practices. Lithium production is expensive and it’s not particularly eco-friendly.
In comparison, sodium carbonate is abundant. In fact, it’s the sixth most present element on the planet and more than 1,000 times more abundant than lithium. So, sodium has some significant advantages when it comes to availability and cost, but there are some key hurdles for adoption in EVs.
Right now, it appears that sodium-ion batteries show the most promise for energy storage systems (ESS) rather than EVs.
Table of Contents
| LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES | SODIUM-ION BATTERIES | |
|---|---|---|
| RAW MATERIALS | Rare (0.0017% of the Earth’s crust)1 | Abundant (2.6% of Earth’s crust)2 |
| ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT | Higher impact
| Lower impact
|
| MATERIAL COSTS | Battery-grade lithium carbonite costs range from $10,000 - $11,000 per metric ton3 | Battery-grade sodium carbonite costs range from $600 - $650 per metric ton4 |
| PRODUCTION COSTS | $70 kWh5 | $50 kWh5 |
| ENERGY DENSITY | Higher – 100-300 Wh/kg6 | Lower - 100-160 Wh/kg6 |
| CHARGING | Slower charging times | Faster charging times |
| CYCLE LIFE | 8,000-10,000 cycles7 | 5,000 cycles7 |
| SAFETY |
|
|
| WEIGHT | Higher energy density means lighter batteries for EV use | Lower energy density means heavier batteries for EV use |
| MATERIAL TRANSPORTATION |
|
|
As you can see sodium-ion cells, produced at scale, have some clear advantages, especially when you consider the cost and availability of raw materials and the environmental impact. However, energy density is preventing sodium-ion batteries from being widely adopted in electric vehicles. Lower energy density means you need larger cells and that adds significant weight and take more space.
When comparing the two, however, you have to take into account geopolitics. China is the world’s leading producer of lithium-ion batteries. CATL is the largest, accounting for some 35% market share, followed by BYD and LG Energy Solutions which make up another 21% combined.
The main supplier of sodium carbonate is the US. The US desire for more energy independence and reduced reliance on China could have an impact on the future of sodium as a battery chemistry.
Currently, sodium-ion has a market share of around 5%. That’s expected to grow to 30% by 2030, but mainly in energy storage use cases.
JAC Group’s Yiwei, backed by VW, debuted the first sodium-ion-powered EV and there is potential for small vehicles. However, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries already have a comparable production cost in that case. The average cost per kilowatt-hour is nearly identical, while LFP batteries have longer cycle life.
“Overall, therefore, the cost difference between sodium-ion chemistries and LFP chemistries is potentially very small. Given the potential performance advantage of LFPs, cost difference does not make sodium-ion a clear winner.” — Innovation News Network
Currently, lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries make up about 50% of the market with LFP batteries accounting for 38%. By 2030, the two technologies are forecast to be at 42% and 41% respectively.
Given the minimal cost differences and better performance, LFPs are likely the preferred solution versus sodium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion technology is also expected to decrease in cost and increase in performance with the continuing R&D.
“Adoption of sodium ion is contingent on the replication of prototype performance at scale and will also be limited by continuing improvements in LFP energy density and decreasing costs.” — Industry Week
One of the biggest challenges for sodium-ion batteries is pure physics. The mass of sodium is three times greater than that of lithium, reducing the gravimetric energy density. With energy density about 30% lower than lithium-ion, range becomes an issue.
The redox potential, which is the tendency for molecules to gain or lose electrons in a chemical reaction, is also about 10% to 25% lower than lithium. That means sodium-ion batteries supply less energy for each ion arriving in the cathode.
However, sodium-ion batteries have huge potential for energy storage. By 2026, it is forecast that 70% of the sodium-ion batteries will be used for energy storage to support electrical grids. Just 18% will be in use for electric vehicles and the rest for small transport, such as scooters. There is also a high potential for home energy storage.
These opportunities may be limited however by supply chain, infrastructure, and factories to produce sodium-ion batteries. By 2027, it’s predicted that sodium-ion solutions can produce 3.8 terawatt hours of energy, but will fall short of demand. Even by 2030, the production capacity is forecast to increase to 6.4 terawatt hours, but demand will be for 7.6 terawatt hours.
Both have their pros and cons and we’re likely to see diverging use cases. Generally, sodium-ion is seen as complementary rather than replacement when it comes to EV manufacturing. CATL, for example, is developing an AB battery pack solution, which combines sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries into one battery pack.
Looking ahead, it appears lithium-ion will be the preferred choice for EVs, while sodium-ion will be preferred for energy storage — where weight and density are less of a concern — and extremely small EVs or automated guided vehicles.
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Technical expert and consultant in batteries and electrical propulsion systems, Stéphane holds a Physics degree with specializations in Photonics, Optics, Electronics, Robotics, and Acoustics. Invested in the EV transformation, he has designed industrial battery packs for electrical bikes. In his free time, he runs a YouTube channel on everything electrical.
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