The battery sector is undergoing a true revolution with the arrival of new chemistries that promise to transform electric mobility and energy storage. One of the key players in this new era is sodium , an element that could offer a more sustainable and economical alternative to the ubiquitous lithium.
Faced with rising lithium prices and concerns about the geopolitical dependence on its extraction and refining, various manufacturers and research centers are focusing their efforts on developing sodium-ion batteries . Although there is still a way to go to match the range and performance of lithium batteries, the landscape is beginning to change with the emergence of new products and technological advances.
Sodium batteries: from scooters to stationary storage
In Chinese cities like Hangzhou, electric scooters equipped with sodium batteries are already a common sight. Sodium batteries , a material that can be extracted even from sea salt and is far more abundant on Earth than lithium, have begun to gain popularity in two-wheeled vehicles thanks to their low price, fast charging, and greater stability in cold conditions.
Chinese manufacturers, such as Yadea, have installed fast-charging stations that allow users to replenish 80% of their battery in just 15 minutes , as well as swapping stations where empty batteries can be exchanged for fully charged ones simply by scanning a QR code. All of this is happening in the electric motorcycle and moped market, where users particularly value battery affordability and reliability.
The expansion of sodium batteries is not limited to urban mobility. Chinese companies have begun building large energy storage facilities to facilitate the integration of renewables into the electrical grid. Some of these projects combine lithium and sodium batteries, leveraging the combined advantages of both systems to achieve more flexible and secure energy storage.
Advantages and limitations of sodium batteries versus lithium
One of the great advantages of sodium is its abundance ; it is estimated to be about 400 times more common than lithium, allowing access to a raw material less subject to supply crises and price fluctuations. Furthermore, sodium cells have greater sustainability potential and can help prevent the over-mining of certain critical metals needed in lithium batteries, such as cobalt and nickel.
In terms of safety , several experts suggest that sodium batteries may be less prone to fire, as their chemistry is more stable. This quality is particularly relevant following the increase in incidents involving lithium batteries in both electric vehicles and energy storage facilities.
However, it's not all advantages. The main drawback of sodium lies in its lower energy density compared to lithium, meaning that, for the same weight and size, these batteries store less energy. Therefore, their application in heavy-duty vehicles (such as long-range electric cars) remains limited, and for now, these models are primarily geared towards micromobility (bicycles, scooters, motorcycles) and stationary applications.
International panorama and company strategy
Global interest in sodium has grown significantly since the dramatic increase in lithium prices in 2021 and 2022 , which prompted the industry to seek cheaper and more readily available alternatives. In China, sodium battery development has been progressing for years, and brands like CATL have announced the start of mass production of sodium batteries for heavy-duty trucks under the Naxtra brand.
Other regions are also joining the trend . In Europe, a group of researchers from the University of Córdoba, together with the National University of San Luis in Argentina, has developed a sodium-sulfur battery capable of exceeding 2.000 charge and discharge cycles. This advance, based on inexpensive and abundant materials, could be key for Europe to reduce its technological dependence on China in the battery sector.
In the field of stationary storage, sodium batteries are particularly interesting because they can be implemented in large power plants to store renewable energy, without the weight and space constraints that are so critical in the automotive industry.