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They don't mention it in this article but the big positive going for Sodium batteries is the cost, they are half the price of li-ion per KWH and about a third t
by PaulKeeble 3y ago
They don't mention it in this article but the big positive going for Sodium batteries is the cost, they are half the price of li-ion per KWH and about a third the price of Li-Pho. There are already quite cheap Sodium battery based cars out from BYD and while they are the lower range end of things (200 miles) they are also considerably cheaper.
So I think Sodium will find its way into the lower range EVs and home/grid storage since its so much cheaper. But I don't imagine we will want less power in phones or laptops as sodium is bigger and heavier.
- kylebenzle 3y agoWhy do you say they don't mention the cost? I'm sorry but like that's what the ENTIRE article is about, the cost savings of sodium batteries over lithium.
- PaulKeeble 3y agoThe only mention they have of cost is "Since the chemical components are cheap, a scaled-up industry should be able to produce batteries that cost less than their lithium counterparts." They do not mention its a half to a third the price of the two prevailing technologies and they they have weaselled it with "should". It does cost less already, you have been able to buy sodium ion batteries on aliexpress for months and the cars are already out from BYD and many more are scheduled later this year and into next. The article is mostly about the geopolitics of the materials. So I stand by they don't mention it, I read that article and I felt this was the key missing context as to why Sodium batteries are going to matter.
- KRAKRISMOTT 3y agoThey are also one band lower on the periodic table. That's a lot of mass, and the ionization metrics are worse.
- pfdietz 3y agoLithium is only a small fraction of the mass of Li-ion batteries. Also, Li does not change oxidation state in Li-ion batteries, so its energy of ionization doesn't affect the voltage of the cell.
- KRAKRISMOTT 3y agoWon't it at least affect the redox electrode potential?
- pfdietz 3y agoI don't see why that would be expected to be in lithium's favor, though.
- kjkjadksj 3y agoI would love a lower end rickshaw/golfcart tier small ev. It would be great for trips and errands around town you could do on lower speed roads. I don’t need a 5000lb behemoth.
- te 3y agoI have one, and they are as great as you expect. Used 2013 Nissan Leaf's can be had for $5k or less.
- phreeza 3y agoSomething like this? https://urbanarrow.com/business-bikes/cargo/ https://urbanarrow.com/business-bikes/cargo/
- nine_k 3y agoThis is a two-wheeler without any protection from weather. But it's about the right weight class.
- blacksmith_tb 3y agoFor protection from the elements there are things like the Veemo[1], I guess compared to the tiny EVs you do get a little exercise too (but you have even less collision protection, not much different from riding a normal bike). 1: https://veemo.ca/ https://veemo.ca/
- dendrite9 3y agoBikes are a place where weight matters more than in a small car, at least for the user. Although I guess some ebikes have motors that don't require pedaling.
- silisili 3y agoSomething like this? I just saw this somewhere this week, maybe even here. Dropping links below... https://www.squadmobility.com/ https://www.squadmobility.com/ https://electrek.co/2022/12/06/squad-solar-electric-city-car-coming-to-us-for-6250/ https://electrek.co/2022/12/06/squad-solar-electric-city-car...
- snapplebobapple 3y agoFor me, the biggest benefit is the dramatically improved environmental profile. You drop a lithium battery in a body of water and besides the potential for some interesting pyrotechnics, you also have a moderately bad environmental pollution situation. I expect the situation to be much better with a sodium based battery.