• humanspiral@lemmy.ca
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    6 days ago

    Sodium ion is great, but

    While batteries have enabled passenger car developments, they have been somewhat stymied in large mobile power applications like shipping and electric trucks. That day is gone now. At these costs, electric shipping is achievable and the debate over alternative fuels will fall off quickly as applications are realized.

    heavy transport is not the right application. Very heavy, and LFP has similar advantages while only being medium heavy. heating vehicle batteries is a solved problem.

    https://micapower.en.made-in-china.com/product/YtVpSrTCuEkm/China-Grade-a-Catl-EV-Sodium-Ion-Battery-100ah-3-0V-Sodium-Na-Ion-Battery-Cell-for-EV-Smart-Storage-System-off-Grid-Power-Emergency-Backup-Power-Automotive-and-Marin.html

    Great that you can get a home power 48v 33.6kwh system for well under $3000. (afaik, it comes with connector plates for 112x100ahx3v for $2340. Don’t know about shipping or a box)

    For 10% more, on that site, LFP is 33% lighter. Can affect shipping costs.

    Sodium ion has extra applications/advantages. Not requiring a heated space could place them under solar panels in the field.

    At $100/kwh or less, “retail”, offgrid even oversized solar+ batteries is far cheaper than any utility service. At low charge/discharge rates (4+ hour charge from solar, and 16 hours of discharge (even with 0.25c peak discharge), 10000 cycles is achievable with both chemistries. $0.01/kwh/cycle.

  • GreenShimada@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    As bullish as I am on Sodium-ion batteries, only very recently did researchers figure out how to boost the charge capacity, making any attempted commercial models in use so far nice, but not the final form where normies are buying them from Home Depot.

    The Sehol car mentioned is a niche configuration of a common model, because the Li-ion model goes farther between charges. Other than the launch in 2023, and articles recycling the same info, find me 1 article that doesn’t use words like “could” or “will” or “might” about sales of this model? Same thing for the BYD Seagull with Na-ion batteries. It’s all greenwashing news where if you dig at it even slightly, you see how not real any of it is.

    It’s closer than it was 5 years ago, but it’s still not a “revolution” by any means.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    I got a LIPO4 battery to run my tiny plastic boat or canoe with a trolling motor, most amazing performance I’ve ever seen. Hours of full thrust, never dropped below 20% power. So what’s up with that tech?

      • girthero@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        I think it will displace lead acid use case first where its lighter in the same form factor and more resilient in cold. Already seeing small engine batteries. You can buy a car battery today on amazon but i understand it doesn’t play welll with alternator regulators, but that can change with retrofits or automakers adapting smarter regulators.

  • just_another_person@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    No, it actually hasn’t. It’s also not any better than any other battery tech out there right now. Longer term but less volume storage is a trade off.

    What happened to these Graphene batteries and capacitors we were supposed to have by now?

    • tty5@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      More durable, cheaper, can be operated at a wider temperature range and much safer, but at a cost of lower energy density.

      They look like a big step forward for uses where density matters little, like grid energy storage or small scale home backups.

    • IronBird@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      sodium-ion is better than acid-lead in every use case (theoretically, when the tech reaches maturity), unlikely to beat lithium ion and others for the high-capacity/low weight type stuff but far as cheap/environmentally safe batteries goes sodium-ion should quickly dominate the field.

      • Valmond@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        Yeah, this kind of tech can actually be groundbreaking.

        10.000 charge cycles? You can imagine lot’s of new things with that. Maybe not a capitalistic quick buck but something bettering society.

        Also for what I have understood it’s wildly better than lipo etc when it comes to resource use, especially “rare” earth.

        • ikidd@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          10k charge cycles isn’t revolutionary. LFP do 8k and even then they just drop down to 80% of original capacity.

          • Valmond@lemmy.world
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            6 days ago

            For that price and energy density it IMO is

            You could load up your car at work (just a silly example) and use it up at night at home, without thinking of degrading your expensive batteries.