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lemmy - Link to source

CATL launches sodium batteries: extremely durable and stable at –40°C

CATL launches sodium batteries: extremely durable and stable at –40°C

CATL presented the first sodium batteries produced ...
EVmarket Romania (EVmarket.ro)
#technology
in reply to robinhoode

TrackinDaKraken
lemmy - Link to source
TrackinDaKraken
• •

Since lithium prices crashed, sodium batteries' main advantage of being cheaper has vanished.

They're also lower capacity for the same weight.

The best application is where cold might be an issue, and weight isn't. So, for large storage. Or, where cold is always an issue, such as in the Arctic.

This entry was edited (2 weeks ago)
in reply to TrackinDaKraken

passepartout
lemmy - Link to source
passepartout
• •

Sodium is basically ubiquitous and sodium batteries are much easier to produce, which is not to be neglected amid rising geopolitical tension. They are also a lot safer to handle. The technology has improved to be ready for the market in almost no time and is still improving rapidly.

They won't be in your smartphone or wireless earbuds where energy density is key, but for large storage grids or maybe even cars, they might replace LiPo or LiFePO4.

in reply to passepartout

Einskjaldi
lemmy - Link to source
Einskjaldi
• •
Efficiency drops significantly as you go faster than 50mph, so they would be more practical for city cars that don't do a lot of time on the highway.
in reply to Einskjaldi

_stranger_
lemmy - Link to source
_stranger_
• •
sounds like a great use case for a city bus or battery powered tram.
in reply to _stranger_

Mihies
lemmy - Link to source
Mihies
• •
It's so stupid that we ditched electricity powered trams and buses through wires.
in reply to Mihies

MotoAsh
piefed - Link to source
MotoAsh
• •
Yes and no. Electric vehicles are good, though it's not exactly a safety feature to have exposed wiring.
in reply to MotoAsh

Mihies
lemmy - Link to source
Mihies
• •
Those wires are high enough to avoid problems. Unless one tries to, that is. OTOH EV might burn (though with newer types of batteries less and less).
in reply to MotoAsh

SreudianFlip
lemmy - Link to source
SreudianFlip
• •

Vancouver BC has had exposed trolley wires for many decades, no major mishaps. Sometimes drivers have to jump out and reconnect the charge arms, which puts them in the road for half a minute.

Can you point out the actual, demonstrated risks?

in reply to passepartout

Mihies
lemmy - Link to source
Mihies
• •
Yep, lithium can be tricky to obtain if there are political or other issues. OTOH as you say, sodium is everywhere.
in reply to Mihies

SaveTheTuaHawk
lemmy - Link to source
SaveTheTuaHawk
• •
Lithium is everywhere. It's just no one gave a shit until recently.
in reply to Mihies

Grapho
lemmy - Link to source
Grapho
• •
Unlike sodium, which can be extracted pretty much anywhere in the world without the worry of depleting your source if you have a coast
in reply to passepartout

JoeMontayna
lemmy - Link to source
JoeMontayna
• •
I refuse to get solar on my house until I can store the energy myself, hopefully this will be available for that soon.
in reply to TrackinDaKraken

eleitl
lemmy - Link to source
eleitl
• •
There isn't enough lithium available on this planet to power a technological civilization. No such problem with abundant sodium. Also, I'd rather not have a lithium chemistry battery powering my home, because it's a fire hazard.
in reply to eleitl

SaveTheTuaHawk
lemmy - Link to source
SaveTheTuaHawk
• •
Any battery holding kilowatts of energy is a fire hazard. Pretty sure a gas furnace is a fire hazard.
in reply to eleitl

SaveTheTuaHawk
lemmy - Link to source
SaveTheTuaHawk
• •
There isn’t enough lithium available on this planet to power a technological civilization.


of course there is, and everyone is assuming lithium won't be recycled.

in reply to TrackinDaKraken

RaoulDook
lemmy - Link to source
RaoulDook
• •
My Lithium solar batteries can't charge today while the sun is out shining brightly, because it's below freezing and I don't have battery heaters installed. They're in an outdoor shed so they can't burn down my house.
in reply to TrackinDaKraken

Grapho
lemmy - Link to source
Grapho
• •
This is assuming an economy of scale doesn't make sodium batteries cheaper once again because of the ease of working with industrial quantities of sodium as opposed to lithium
in reply to TrackinDaKraken

geneva_convenience
lemmy - Link to source
geneva_convenience
• •
Isn't it just the economy of scale keeping lithium battery pricing this low? Sodium could be cheaper to produce if it reacher the same scale because it requires less rare materials.
in reply to TrackinDaKraken

htrayl
lemmy - Link to source
htrayl
• •
Why do you assume economies of scale don't work on sodium ion batteries? We are just launching the first commercial products, which indeed is a hard time for new technology and sodium does need to pass the hurdle of "get to scale", but sodium has the potential to be dirt cheap once fully scaled and realized.
in reply to robinhoode

ShinkanTrain
lemmy - Link to source
ShinkanTrain
• •
175Wh is within striking distance of LFPs. That's really promising if they can start mass producing them for EVs
in reply to ShinkanTrain

SaveTheTuaHawk
lemmy - Link to source
SaveTheTuaHawk
• •
Battery costs for EVs has dropped >90% since 2012. Batteries are not why they are overpriced.
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