• frezik
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    10 months ago

    CATL is beginning mass production of sodium-ion batteries this year.

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      Were still going to need lithium batteries for longer ranges for quite awhile.

      Sodium Ion/LFP can get up to 160wh/kg right now, which is fine for things like the standard range cars or commuter cars, but when you want the longer range vehicles they’re to big/heavy compared to the 250-300wh/kg of the lithium ion batteries using nickle.

      I’m sure they’ll keep improving them, but so will the lithium ion ones. Maybe LFP/Sodium make it to 250, but nickle make it to 400-450.

      Then you gotta consider weight differences and what not and the impact on efficiency so it’s not neccesarily end game if they reach the mid 200’s.

      I’m super excited to see the continued improvements in these lower power density batteries though. They’re going to make the transition a lot easier as not everyone will want a longer range vehicle, and they’re more sustainable.

      And of course, for storage where density doesn’t matter, they’re amazing.

      Edit: Oh and once we get into the cost effective 400-450+ range, we can start transitioning flight as well, so we’ll still need it then as well.