Recently, news of the progress of sodium ion battery in China has emerged frequently. First, HUA YANG disclosed that the world’s first mass production 1GWh sodium ion battery cell production line, jointly built with Zhongke Haina, is officially operating.
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This was followed by a news release from the Chinese authorities stating that its scenic energy storage base project in Anhui, China is currently the largest sodium battery project in China.
At the same time, China’s research institute also issued a notice for comment on the industry standard for sodium ion batteries and proceeded to promote the preparation of related standards.
All kinds of good news to stimulate the continued development of sodium ion batteries.
Sodium batteries are starting to get attention
In fact, sodium batteries are not a new thing, it was proposed at the same time with lithium ion battery in 1970s, both of them work on the same principle, except one is sodium ion and the other is lithium ion. However, lithium-ion batteries, with their excellent performance, have been loved by many companies, and the lithium battery industry has been developing vigorously for 50 years, while sodium-ion batteries have been at a standstill from research to industrialization.
Now sodium batteries suddenly get attention, in fact, mainly caused by its old rival lithium ion battery. In the context of carbon neutral, lithium-ion batteries, the key raw material lithium carbonate in short supply, prices in March to August this year after a high rise, September and regained momentum, the cumulative price increase this year has been more than 80%. The continued surge in raw material prices, to the downstream battery manufacturers, car companies brought huge cost pressure, for this reason, the relevant enterprises because of the high price of lithium carbonate and feel anxious.
The sodium battery, in the theoretical level compared to the lithium ion battery, the total material cost is 30%-40% lower, and in terms of reserves, the earth’s sodium resources are 400 times more than lithium, and the global distribution is uniform, which allows people to see the light of substitution.
However, in fact, whether from the technical level, or from the upstream and downstream industry chain, sodium ion batteries are in the pre-production stage of mass production.
The cathode materials, the most critical material for manufacturing sodium ion batteries, are being developed in parallel by three technological routes, including the layered metal oxide route used by Zhongke Haina, the Prussian blue route used by CATL, and the polyanion route.
Among them, Zhongke Haina’s route is technically mature and is currently in production. CATL, one of the top 10 global companies with installed power battery capacity, has adopted the Prussian Blue route and released the first generation of sodium in July last year, but it has not been put into production so far. As for the polyanion route, there are no companies in China yet, and Chinese manufacturers have not yet released batteries using this route, so the industrialization process is far less than the first two. This means that sodium ion batteries are still in the early stages of research and development, and it is still unclear which technology route will eventually win, pending continuous technical maturity.
In addition, sodium ion batteries have not yet formed a preliminary industrial chain, which will increase the production cost of sodium ion batteries.
In the current industry chain lack of supporting, lack of scale effect, it is estimated that the actual production cost of sodium ion in more than 1 yuan / Wh, in fact, is much higher than the current industry chain is mature, large-scale production of lithium-ion batteries. The industry is most concerned about the low cost of sodium ion batteries, but only the theoretical cost of the ideal situation.
At the same time, since the sodium-ion battery gets attention is mainly caused by the current surge in the price of lithium battery raw materials, then the future once the supply of lithium raw materials to ease, the promotion of sodium batteries on the ground whether it can advance as expected, there is also uncertainty.
Sodium is unlikely to completely replace lithium
Theoretically, sodium has low cost and high reserves, and although it is still on the eve of mass production, it is likely to come of age in time. So by then, will sodium have completely replaced lithium?
The answer is no.
In the most concerned performance of power batteries – energy density, the current sodium battery has obvious shortcomings.
Last July, CATL released the first generation of sodium ion batteries, synchronized with the release of lithium-sodium hybrid battery pack, two batteries using the same battery system for management.
Currently, as a power battery, lithium iron phosphate battery energy density of 120Wh/kg to 200Wh/kg, ternary lithium battery cell energy density of 200Wh/kg to 350Wh/kg, while the sodium battery cell energy density of 100Wh/kg to 0Wh/kg, the gap is very obvious.
So is it with the further maturity of sodium battery technology, the gap can be narrowed? This is also impossible and is determined by the innate characteristics of sodium ion, without any possibility of change. Lithium ion and sodium ion have different elemental characteristics, which determines the upper limit of energy density of sodium ion batteries, which will always be lower than the upper limit of energy density of lithium ion batteries.
The inherent gap in energy density means that if used as a power battery in new energy vehicles, the same weight of sodium ion batteries can provide range, always far less than the same weight of lithium ion batteries, which determines that sodium can not replace lithium in the field of power batteries.
Sodium ion and lithium batteries is more complementary
In terms of safety, sodium batteries are better than lithium ion batteries, which is due to the high internal resistance of sodium batteries than lithium batteries, so its transient heat generation in the case of a short circuit is less, the temperature rise is lower, the thermal runaway temperature is higher than that of lithium batteries, with higher safety.
At the same time, lithium batteries will precipitate lithium ions when charged at low temperatures, while sodium batteries do not precipitate, so sodium ion batteries have a wider operating temperature range. Sodium can work normally in the temperature range of -40℃ to 80℃, and the capacity retention rate is nearly 90% in -20℃, so the high and low temperature performance is better than lithium ion battery.
High safety and wider operating temperature range, as well as low cost, are actually more suitable for energy storage. Energy storage batteries do not require high energy density like power batteries, and pay more attention to safety and economy, and it is better to adapt to the climatic conditions of different latitudes, which require a wider operating temperature range.
Thus, in the future, with the maturity of sodium-ion battery technology, in the power battery industry, it is inevitable that the situation of sodium-ion battery and lithium-ion battery will eventually present a common development.
Competition between sodium and lithium batteries
Recently, news of the progress of sodium ion battery in China has emerged frequently. First, HUA YANG disclosed that the world’s first mass production 1GWh sodium ion battery cell production line, jointly built with Zhongke Haina, is officially operating.
This was followed by a news release from the Chinese authorities stating that its scenic energy storage base project in Anhui, China is currently the largest sodium battery project in China.
At the same time, China’s research institute also issued a notice for comment on the industry standard for sodium ion batteries and proceeded to promote the preparation of related standards.
All kinds of good news to stimulate the continued development of sodium ion batteries.
Sodium batteries are starting to get attention
In fact, sodium batteries are not a new thing, it was proposed at the same time with lithium ion battery in 1970s, both of them work on the same principle, except one is sodium ion and the other is lithium ion. However, lithium-ion batteries, with their excellent performance, have been loved by many companies, and the lithium battery industry has been developing vigorously for 50 years, while sodium-ion batteries have been at a standstill from research to industrialization.
Now sodium batteries suddenly get attention, in fact, mainly caused by its old rival lithium ion battery. In the context of carbon neutral, lithium-ion batteries, the key raw material lithium carbonate in short supply, prices in March to August this year after a high rise, September and regained momentum, the cumulative price increase this year has been more than 80%. The continued surge in raw material prices, to the downstream battery manufacturers, car companies brought huge cost pressure, for this reason, the relevant enterprises because of the high price of lithium carbonate and feel anxious.
The sodium battery, in the theoretical level compared to the lithium ion battery, the total material cost is 30%-40% lower, and in terms of reserves, the earth’s sodium resources are 400 times more than lithium, and the global distribution is uniform, which allows people to see the light of substitution.
However, in fact, whether from the technical level, or from the upstream and downstream industry chain, sodium ion batteries are in the pre-production stage of mass production.
The cathode materials, the most critical material for manufacturing sodium ion batteries, are being developed in parallel by three technological routes, including the layered metal oxide route used by Zhongke Haina, the Prussian blue route used by CATL, and the polyanion route.
Among them, Zhongke Haina’s route is technically mature and is currently in production. CATL, one of the top 10 global companies with installed power battery capacity, has adopted the Prussian Blue route and released the first generation of sodium in July last year, but it has not been put into production so far. As for the polyanion route, there are no companies in China yet, and Chinese manufacturers have not yet released batteries using this route, so the industrialization process is far less than the first two. This means that sodium ion batteries are still in the early stages of research and development, and it is still unclear which technology route will eventually win, pending continuous technical maturity.
In addition, sodium ion batteries have not yet formed a preliminary industrial chain, which will increase the production cost of sodium ion batteries.
In the current industry chain lack of supporting, lack of scale effect, it is estimated that the actual production cost of sodium ion in more than 1 yuan / Wh, in fact, is much higher than the current industry chain is mature, large-scale production of lithium-ion batteries. The industry is most concerned about the low cost of sodium ion batteries, but only the theoretical cost of the ideal situation.
At the same time, since the sodium-ion battery gets attention is mainly caused by the current surge in the price of lithium battery raw materials, then the future once the supply of lithium raw materials to ease, the promotion of sodium batteries on the ground whether it can advance as expected, there is also uncertainty.
Sodium is unlikely to completely replace lithium
Theoretically, sodium has low cost and high reserves, and although it is still on the eve of mass production, it is likely to come of age in time. So by then, will sodium have completely replaced lithium?
The answer is no.
In the most concerned performance of power batteries – energy density, the current sodium battery has obvious shortcomings.
Last July, CATL released the first generation of sodium ion batteries, synchronized with the release of lithium-sodium hybrid battery pack, two batteries using the same battery system for management.
Currently, as a power battery, lithium iron phosphate battery energy density of 120Wh/kg to 200Wh/kg, ternary lithium battery cell energy density of 200Wh/kg to 350Wh/kg, while the sodium battery cell energy density of 100Wh/kg to 0Wh/kg, the gap is very obvious.
So is it with the further maturity of sodium battery technology, the gap can be narrowed? This is also impossible and is determined by the innate characteristics of sodium ion, without any possibility of change. Lithium ion and sodium ion have different elemental characteristics, which determines the upper limit of energy density of sodium ion batteries, which will always be lower than the upper limit of energy density of lithium ion batteries.
The inherent gap in energy density means that if used as a power battery in new energy vehicles, the same weight of sodium ion batteries can provide range, always far less than the same weight of lithium ion batteries, which determines that sodium can not replace lithium in the field of power batteries.
Sodium ion and lithium batteries is more complementary
In terms of safety, sodium batteries are better than lithium ion batteries, which is due to the high internal resistance of sodium batteries than lithium batteries, so its transient heat generation in the case of a short circuit is less, the temperature rise is lower, the thermal runaway temperature is higher than that of lithium batteries, with higher safety.
At the same time, lithium batteries will precipitate lithium ions when charged at low temperatures, while sodium batteries do not precipitate, so sodium ion batteries have a wider operating temperature range. Sodium can work normally in the temperature range of -40℃ to 80℃, and the capacity retention rate is nearly 90% in -20℃, so the high and low temperature performance is better than lithium ion battery.
High safety and wider operating temperature range, as well as low cost, are actually more suitable for energy storage. Energy storage batteries do not require high energy density like power batteries, and pay more attention to safety and economy, and it is better to adapt to the climatic conditions of different latitudes, which require a wider operating temperature range.
Thus, in the future, with the maturity of sodium-ion battery technology, in the power battery industry, it is inevitable that the situation of sodium-ion battery and lithium-ion battery will eventually present a common development.