An international team of scientists has reviewed recent advances in sodium-ion battery components, highlighting their potential as a lower-cost, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The researchers identify key challenges including lower energy density, shorter cycle life and manufacturing constraints, while pointing to advances in materials and electrolytes as important to future commercialization.
Can this technology be used to retrofit existing devices with batteries of higher energy-density, such as phones, laptops, and mobile game consoles? Or is it really only feasible/worthwhile for large capacity usage?
Good Lithium-ion batteries have around 350 Wh/kg, so if you retrofit your devices, you’d be cutting out almost half the capacity, so at the moment it’s not feasible yet.
Once the form factor is there and the loading voltage is the same (or the charging circuit can be replaced), I don’t see why it shouldn’t work
Not limited to large capacity, but to low-density applications where size isn’t critical. Also anywhere that very cold weather is likely
So no wearables, phones, etc… But more stationary applications.
But solar mesh nodes (home or agricultural/industrial), off-grid pumps, power banks (camping style), home solar storage, lead acid car battery replacements, weather stations, electric toothbrushes, lights/lanterns, light tools like laser levels, toys and RC cars/boats, etc… Things that traditionally used alkaline batteries (often recently switching to Lithium for recharging) are often good applications.
Can this technology be used to retrofit existing devices with batteries of higher energy-density, such as phones, laptops, and mobile game consoles? Or is it really only feasible/worthwhile for large capacity usage?
For high energy density lithium ion is still king.
At room temperature 25C. In colder environments, lithium is shit.
Good Lithium-ion batteries have around 350 Wh/kg, so if you retrofit your devices, you’d be cutting out almost half the capacity, so at the moment it’s not feasible yet.
Once the form factor is there and the loading voltage is the same (or the charging circuit can be replaced), I don’t see why it shouldn’t work
Not limited to large capacity, but to low-density applications where size isn’t critical. Also anywhere that very cold weather is likely
So no wearables, phones, etc… But more stationary applications.
But solar mesh nodes (home or agricultural/industrial), off-grid pumps, power banks (camping style), home solar storage, lead acid car battery replacements, weather stations, electric toothbrushes, lights/lanterns, light tools like laser levels, toys and RC cars/boats, etc… Things that traditionally used alkaline batteries (often recently switching to Lithium for recharging) are often good applications.