Forget Lithium EV Batteries – This New Tech Could Make Them Obsolete

When Milwaukee Tools debuted the first rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery in the 1990s, it proved a legitimately game-changing advancement that dramatically reduced the need for gasoline to power many consumer devices. These days, the technology is being used as the primary energy source for everything from power tools to mobile phones and tablets. It is, of course, also being used to power most of the electric vehicles that are on the road today.

Until recently, Lithium-Ion looked to be the power source of choice in the EV sector for the foreseeable future. But that may no longer be the case, as the resurgence of rechargeable Sodium-Ion technology. That tech is hardly new, of course, as Sodium-ion power packs were first being developed around the same time as their Lithium-Ion counterparts. But when Lithium-Ion models took off, Sodium-Ion tech was effectively relegated to the sidelines and has lingered there ever since.

With demand for Lithium-Ion batteries skyrocketing over the past 2 decades, and supply chains increasingly strained, some outfits have turned to Sodium-Ion as a viable alternative. For Chinese automaker Changan, it has proven more than viable, with the company not only tapping Sodium-Ion tech to power its new Nevo A06 EV, but claiming its battery dramatically outperforms Lithium-Ion power packs in cold weather charging. With the company that developed those same batteries claiming they last more than 6-times longer than industry average, Lithium-Ion technology may soon cede its grip on the EV market, potentially to the point of becoming obsolete.

There are, naturally, several pros and cons to consider with Sodium-Ion battery tech. But one of the key pros is one may further doom Lithium-Ion battery tech to the eventual scrap heap, as Sodium-Ion batteries are generally believed to be cheaper to manufacture. Per some studies, Sodium-Ion production may undercut its counterpart by some 20 to 40 percent, if only because Sodium is said to be far more abundant in nature, and likely easier to mine. 

On top of those factors, Sodium-Ion batteries are also believed to be safer than Lithium-Ion models. By most measures, Sodium-Ion batteries are superior in high thermal stability. That means they're less likely than Lithium-Ion batteries to enter thermal runaway, and thus less likely to catch fire. Perhaps more importantly, that gives Sodium-Ion batteries a major advantage in the shipping phase, as they can be shipped at zero-charge. This fact greatly reduces the risk of fire during transport. Moreover, Sodium-Ion batteries are believed to fare much better when they are physically damaged or overcharged, which has been a common area of concern for Lithium-Ion power sources.

If there's one area where Lithium-Ion still holds a notable advantage in automobiles, it's in energy density, which in part means that they tend to deliver better mileage per charge. According to Changan, its A06 tops out at around 250-miles, which doesn't really improve on most Lithium-Ion batteries, and even falls well behind some. Still, given the potential advantages provided by Sodium-Ion batteries, it may not be long before they become the standard in the EV sector.