Commercial debut: sodium-ion batteries

If you haven't read much about sodium-ion batteries, here's a brief summary:

• They do not rely on lithium, but rather on sodium, which is much more common and is easier to source, particularly in times when trade relationships are uncertain and supply chains can be easily disrupted
• They can be made in sizes and shapes similar to today's low-end lithium batteries, which means drop-in replacements should be possible
• Although carbon footprints for manufacturing are the same or slightly higher than footprints of lithium batteries, sodium-ion batteries are considered to be more sustainable because their metals content is much lower and because they promise to be so long-lived
• Further development could produce versions of the batteries made only from abundant elements (for example, carbon from the forestry industry)²
• They can be stored and transported "empty", which will be safer and increase battery life
• They can be recharged many, many times, giving them a much-longer life

They do have some disadvantages:

• They are slightly heavier and bulkier than lithium ion batteries
• They have a slightly-lower power density
• Low-temperature performance still needs to be improved³
• They are not yet at price-parity with lithium ion cells, which creates barriers for large-battery adoption

Even so, we were able to find a dozen products with sodium-ion batteries now available in consumer markets, including household storage, mobility scooters and e-bikes, and even compact EVs. Here are two examples:

• The Elecom 9,000 mAh portable USB battery, available for pre-order now in Japan, claims to be able to withstand 5,000 charges as it powers cell-phones, laptops, and other consumer devices. It is slightly larger and slightly more expensive than comparable lithium-based batteries.⁴
• The JAC Yiwei 3 Chinese EV has a range of around 250 km and battery densities of around 140 Watt-hours/kilogram⁵ (compared to the Chevy Bolt's density of around 237 Watt-hours/kilogram⁶)

Sweet Lightning has no affiliation with any products or manufacturers mentioned in this article.

Reading

1. Yao, Adrian, Sally M. Benson, and William C. Chueh. “Critically Assessing Sodium-Ion Technology Roadmaps and Scenarios for Techno-Economic Competitiveness against Lithium-Ion Batteries.” Nature Energy 10, no. 3 (March 2025): 404–16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-024-01701-9.
2. Wickerts, Sanna, Rickard Arvidsson, Anders Nordelöf, Magdalena Svanström, and Patrik Johansson. “Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Sodium-Ion Batteries Made from Abundant Elements.” Journal of Industrial Ecology 28, no. 1 (2024): 116–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.13452.
3. Wang, Meng, Qianchen Wang, Xiangyu Ding, Yingshuai Wang, Yuhang Xin, Preetam Singh, Feng Wu, and Hongcai Gao. “The Prospect and Challenges of Sodium-Ion Batteries for Low-Temperature Conditions.” Interdisciplinary Materials 1, no. 3 (2022): 373–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/idm2.12040.
4. Liszewski, Andrew. “Elecom’s Na Plus Sodium-Ion Power Bank Uses Safer and Longer-Lasting Sodium-Ion Battery Technology.” The Verge, March 17, 2025. https://www.theverge.com/news/631357/elecom-power-bank-battery-sodium-ion.
5. “JAC’s Yiwei Brand Starts Delivering EVs Equipped with Sodium-Ion Batteries - CnEVPost.” Accessed April 11, 2025. https://cnevpost.com/2024/01/06/jac-yiwei-starts-delivering-evs-with-sodium-ion-batteries/.
6. Alaniz, Anthony. “Chevrolet Bolt Energy Density Compared To Tesla Model 3, Model S - GM Authority,” February 9, 2019. https://gmauthority.com/blog/2019/02/chevrolet-bolt-energy-density-compared-to-tesla-model-3-model-s/.