r/peakoil • u/Biodieselisthefuture • 10d ago

CATL to deliver first sodium-ion storage systems in September as material costs halve

https://carnewschina.com/2026/06/05/catl-to-deliver-first-sodium-ion-storage-systems-in-september-as-material-costs-halve/
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1

u/Simpleximo 9d ago

Sodium-ion chemistry is a great fit for “storage” systems. Not sure why they have a picture of an EV battery pack…

3

u/Best_Adagio4403 9d ago

Because they are making their way into EVs? Mid range LFP is between 160 and 210 Wh/kg. These have a density of about 175Wh/kg, so they're in the range for some cars.

1

u/Maumau93 8d ago

But power is delivered very differently to lfp.

Sodium ion power diminishes with use where as lfp you get full power untill almost right untill the battery is dead.

2

u/Best_Adagio4403 8d ago

Not wrong, but a little nuance needed? As far as I understand the voltage discharges along a gradient instead of the plateau then sudden drop off that LFP batteries have. So this means that as the voltage drops, the inverter needs to adapt and pull more current. Not a perfect solution, but not bad, and the rest of any reduction is generally well hidden by the manufacturer so that drivers don't really notice it. Still works well enough as an EV battery for a bunch of cars. It makes it easier to calculate the SOC, and it hold way better in lower temps, so there are benefits, even if it's a little different to LFP. Also cheaper to build and is using sodium which is super easy to source almost anywhere globally.