Just as the West aims to decouple from China, China too wants to cut it's own reliance on lithium from the west.
Enter the sodium ion battery.
Something the HC armchair "experts" said would not happen.
The Battery That China Is Hiding from the World: It Uses This Strange Material and Could Destroy Our Industry
China’s progress with renewable energies is undeniable, but the ethics with which they are achieving it is not. The whole world is on tenterhooks with the battery they are hiding from the rest of the world. The reason? It has enormous potential to destroy our industry and export capacity with the strangest material we have ever seen.
China created this battery that leaves lithium behind but has it hidden in its industry
China has recently made major advancements in sodium-ion battery technology as an alternative to the more common lithium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion batteries utilize sodium ions rather than lithium ions to store and release energy.
While lithium-ion batteries currently dominate the global battery market, especially for electric vehicles and consumer electronics, sodium-ion batteries have some potential advantages that have piqued China’s interest.
China sees sodium-ion as a strategic opportunity to establish domestic technology leadership and reduce reliance on imported lithium. With its vast sodium reserves, China could secure its supply chain for battery materials rather than depend on sourcing lithium from other countries.
This has led major Chinese companies to accelerate sodium-ion research and development. Over the past few years, China has rapidly expanded sodium-ion battery production capacity and implemented large-scale deployments of the technology.
Sodium-ion Chinese batteries, a milestone in energy history
Sodium-ion batteries are very similar in design to the lithium-ion batteries that currently dominate the battery market. Both use intercalation chemistry, meaning that ions move between the cathode and anode to provide power.
However, sodium-ion batteries use sodium ions instead of lithium. This provides some key advantages. The cathode in a sodium-ion battery is typically made from layered transition metal oxides, while the anode uses hard carbon, similar to lithium-ion batteries.
During discharge, the sodium ions flow from the anode to the cathode through the electrolyte. When charging, the ions flow back to the anode. Unlike lithium, sodium is cheap and abundant. Sodium does not need special handling or storage. This makes sodium-ion batteries easier and cheaper to produce.
However, sodium ions are larger and heavier than lithium, which impacts energy density. But improvements in materials and design are helping boost the energy density of sodium-ion batteries.
A problem for the United States: Tesla and the American industry are threatened.
Chinese automaker BYD has built the world’s first mass-production facility for sodium-ion batteries in Chongqing. The factory has a planned annual capacity of 20GWh and will start producing batteries in 2025.
BYD’s sodium-ion batteries will use a new battery chemistry developed in-house. The company claims its batteries have a range comparable to lithium-ion batteries but with advantages such as faster charging times and higher energy density.
The new factory represents a major investment by BYD in sodium-ion technology. The company sees great potential for sodium-ion batteries due to the abundance and lower cost of sodium compared to lithium.
BYD plans to initially use the sodium-ion batteries produced at this factory in its electric buses. Over time, the company may expand the use of sodium-ion batteries into its electric cars and other applications.
The opening of this large-scale sodium-ion battery factory highlights China’s ambitions to lead in next-generation battery technologies. With strong government support, Chinese companies like BYD aim to leapfrog established lithium-ion batteries.
As you can see, the Chinese batteries have taken a step that we would not have liked to see, given the relevance it will have for our industry. The problem? It is not a shared innovation, but an invention that remains hidden from the rest of the world. There is still a long way to go to see if they decide to extend them to the rest of the planet and replace lithium forever.
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