3d ago

CATL announces sodium batteries that cost as little as $10/kWh, a massive price reduction compared to the current average of $115/kWh for lithium-ion batteries.

3d ago

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3d ago

CATL announces sodium batteries that cost as little as $10/kWh, a massive price reduction compared to the current average of $115/kWh for lithium-ion batteries.

7 comments

Matt Ferrel has been shown time and time again to support literally anything that fits the futuristic tech bro vibe regardless if the concept is viable or even makes sense. Probably not the best source.
- Isn't that the entire point of his channel? To highlight obscure new tech and report on it? I don't feel like he's trying to punt anything, just maybe overly optimistic sometimes.
- To be fair, the source for the claim is CATL which is very much a serious company with a proven track record.
I'll believe it when I can actually buy them at that price. I don't think that will happen anytime soon.
- Not commenting on geopolitics but just logistics, this stuff will be made in China so if you're somewhere else, it will have to be brought to you, and 100kwh (the amount in a car) weighs around 1000 kg. So the transportation cost all by itself will probably be above $10 per kwh.
  Anyway you won't see retail products at that price, just like you don't see LFP for $50 a kwh now. You have to buy at the scale of EV manufacturers or electric utilities.
Big if true. They are claiming a lot of things, which would be exciting if I had any reason to believe that they're anything more than claims, probably to juice investment. Sodium ion battery tech is infamous for being heavier per kW such that it's less ideal for EVs, last for fewer power cycles such that it's less ideal for EVs, and the cost savings to switch just hasn't been enough to justify. Here, they're claiming comparable energy density, 2.5-5x the power cycles, and under 10% of the cost compared to lithium ion, all without mentioning how they've managed to achieve all of this. I want this to be true, but I'm not jumping for joy until I see them actually selling this product that they claim will exist at this price that they claim it will be.
I would've been on board with sodium ion tech for home battery solutions connected to smart power management on a market adjusted power plan before ever seeing a breakthrough like this. Imagine subsidizing your home power needs with a battery during the hot summer day and then charging that battery overnight at 2am when there are minimal power needs on the grid. That application doesn't really care about weight, and if you could just call somebody to come swap out your batteries every couple years, then the power cycle limit doesn't really matter either. As for cost, early adopters of the idea could inject the capital for these companies to scale up production which would drive costs down. Suddenly, 20 years from now, who the fuck bothers to have a gas/diesel backup generator at their house anymore? Now if these claims turn out to be true, every home and business could utilize this plan.
This is mostly interesting for grid scale imho, but nice if it happens. We'll see how it works out for EV's. Their electronics will need major redesign because sodium battery voltages drop a lot more than lithium does during the discharge cycle.
https://undecidedmf.com/how-catl-made-batteries-90-cheaper-and-what-happens-next/
Large LFP auctions seem to be running US$50 to US$60 a kwh as of a month ago:
https://reneweconomy.com.au/watershed-moment-big-battery-storage-prices-hit-record-low-in-huge-china-auction/

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