this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2025
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They are cheaper and the low temperature performance is better than LFP, but the round trip efficiency is less than LFP.
Question is.... How much cheaper...
LFP is almost at the price point we could all have a freezer sized battery pack in our house, drastically changing the grid, and allowing a place for all that wind/solar to store energy.
If Sodium is a fair chunk cheaper, then it will totally be worth buying a house battery pack. Buying energy on the cheap at certain times of day, and using the battery when energy prices are high.
Potentially 1/10th the price according to this video I stumbled on about it a couple of days ago!
https://youtu.be/Wf84NJSiAeU
That video makes it sound exciting but I've heard Matt hypes things up more than they should be
Plus market dynamics means that even if it's 90% cheaper to make, they will only reduce the price compared to LFP by 10% to maximize profits.
Why wouldn't the grid do this on an industrial scale and remove any off peak discounts?
They also have better thermal stability, so less risk of uncontrolled fires.
AFAIK, LFP thermal runaway can't start fires. NMC or other lithium chemistries can and they scare me, but LFPs are pretty damn safe. That being said, I'm still stoked for sodium chemistries to be developed. If the round trip efficiency issues can be solved, then I think it'll be a great solution for residential power storage.
What does round trip efficiency mean here?
How much energy you get out of a full charge, divided by how much energy you need to fully charge it. It’s around the 90% mark for lithium based tech, no idea what it is for these sodium ones
The numbers I've seen: LFP: mid 90s Sodium: low to mid 80s
LFP seems better for cars unless you live in an area that deals with extreme cold. Sodium is better (cheaper) for fixed, large quantity storage where energy density is not as critical and lower efficiency is an acceptable trade off for lower price.
As long as the efficiency is outweighed by price, it could move us in the right direction. Hopefully we can pick up the efficiency in time. These would also be good for my future load-shifting (charge during off peak, low carbon electricity) and maybe solar system at home.