Central Glass, a Japanese materials manufacturer, is set to begin mass production of sodium-ion battery electrolytes in 2024. The primary material utilized in sodium-ion batteries is sodium. Many companies have attempted to mass produce sodium-ion batteries because the supply of sodium is more stable and less costly than lithium. Sodium-ion batteries are expected to replace lithium-ion batteries for the next generation of electric vehicles.
According to reports from Nikkei News and NNA, Central Glass plans to produce sodium-ion battery electrolytes in 2024 that can produce one GWh worth of batteries, which can power approximately 20,000 electric vehicles.
The primary buyers of Central Glass' sodium-ion battery electrolytes will be Chinese manufacturers who have made faster progress in the development of sodium-ion batteries. Central Glass is also considering producing the electrolytes in China, where its joint venture manufacturing base is located. However, the report did not specify which Chinese manufacturer it will be working with.
Central Glass is an important manufacturer of lithium-ion battery electrolytes in Japan. The additive technology developed during the production of lithium-ion battery electrolytes has also been applied to the field of sodium-ion batteries, so that the battery life could be extended and the output power improved. Depending on the type of solvent and additive used in the manufacturing process, the cost of sodium-ion batteries can be reduced by 20-40%, compared to their lithium-ion counterparts.
Moreover, there are also other companies active in the supply chain of sodium-ion batteries. For example, Kuraray, a Japanese chemical company, is planning to produce negative electrode materials by using graphite. The company aims to produce several thousand tons of materials annually. Even with larger sizes of sodium-ion, the use of graphite from Kuraray allows for efficient movement of ions within the electrode. This advantage makes the charging and discharging more efficient, which is one of the advantages of Kuraray's product.
The research on sodium-ion batteries had already begun in the 1970s. However, Sony, the Japanese tech juggernaut, made a breakthrough in the commercialization of lithium-ion batteries in 1990, eclipsing the attention paid to sodium-ion batteries. In 2020, there was finally a breakthrough in the R&D of sodium-ion batteries. In 2015, France managed to produce the world's first 18650 cylindrical sodium-ion battery.
After the breakthrough, companies such as Tiamat from France, HiNa Battery from China, Natron Energy from the US, and Faradion from the UK all made progress in the development of sodium-ion batteries.
In China, HiNa Battery began planning the energy storage system of sodium-ion batteries in 2021. CATL, the manufacturer of electric vehicle batteries, announced their sodium-ion battery technology and their plans to invest in large-scale industrial applications in the same year. Natrium Energy also announced its storage technology for sodium-ion battery energy during the same period of time.
EVE Battery, also a manufacturer from China, announced their cylindrical sodium-ion battery in December 2022. SVOLT Energy is also planning to complete the production of sodium-ion batteries with an energy density of 160 Wh/kg by 2023.
EV Tank, a Chinese think tank for new energy, predicts that the shipment volume of sodium-ion batteries in China will reach 347 GWh by 2030. Initially, they will be installed on two-wheeled vehicles and other modes of transportation. Then they will become available in other fields, such as four-wheeled vehicles, energy storage devices, and more.
Article translated by Emma Hsu
