Beyond lithium: sodium and solid state batteries for EVs
Read my latest update on batteries , for Yale Environment 360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/energy-storage-sodium-solid-state In brief: Lithium ion batteries have been king for portable applications (phones, laptops, drones and cars) for decades. They're still king, and still improving. In particular, the cheaper formulations (lithium iron phosphate or LFP) are more heat stable so can be packed together tighter, can be charged up to 100% more easily and some in a zip of just 10 minutes. These now account for more than half of EV batteries and will likely stay the leader for a long while. But two new technologies are challenging lithium ion's dominance, from either end of the cost spectrum. Sodium batteries should in principle be cheaper and easier to source than lithium (sodium is in the salty ocean after all); they're bulkier and less energy dense, but their performance is on the rise. Watch for sodium ion battery cars coming out of China soon. And for sodium batter...