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Originally Posted by fa63
Why did you see / read this? Just curious; from my limited knowledge of batteries, I thought sodium-ions main disadvantage was its lower energy density compared to lithium-ion.
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Also curious where this was found. That would be good! I generally thought sodium ion batteries main advantage was being cheaper. Here is some recent work from PNNL where they essentially found a better electrolyte for Na ion batteries (more longevity, but not 10x Li). They also touch on some of the benchmarks for current Na ion batteries (
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01055-0). They definitely have lower energy density making them quite heavy so they aren’t ideal for EVs. Given the amount of RnD going into Li ion batteries relative to Na, I wouldn’t expect Na to catch up anytime soon. Also the cathode used in this study contains nickel and cobalt. Supply wise, these are also extremely concerning. Most cobalt comes from china and the Congo (far from conflict free). Almost none is sourced in the US despite half of the new EV tax credit being dependent on that.
Look out for silicon based cathodes for Li ion batteries. That could be a huge game changer in both the environmental impact and energy density.