Sodium batteries for cold weather performance

[AZFox]

IIRC, the safety advantage is either limited or mostly-limited to "aqueous" sodium-ion batteries, which also have the more significant disadvantage on energy density. So, the non-aqueous ones being used for automotive traction batteries are probably similar to lithium-ion/NMC in terms of safety.

Seems reasonable enough.

The AI Slop I saw when I submitted a query was this:

Sodium-ion batteries have a significantly lower fire risk compared to lithium-ion batteries, as they do not emit smoke, ignite, or explode when punctured and have better thermal stability. In contrast, lithium-ion batteries are more prone to thermal runaway and can catch fire under certain conditions, especially if damaged or improperly handled.​

​

Attribute​	Sodium Batteries​	Lithium Batteries​
Fire Risk​	Lower risk of fire​	Higher risk of fire​
Thermal Stability​	Higher self-heating temperature (260°C)​	Lower self-heating temperature (165°C)​
Reaction to Damage​	Do not ignite or explode when punctured​	Can catch fire or explode under stress​
Safety Tests​	Passes tests for short circuits, overcharging, and compression without catching fire​	Prone to thermal runaway and can explode if damaged​

​

Reasons for Differences​

​

Chemical Properties: Sodium is more stable than lithium, leading to a lower likelihood of dangerous reactions.​

Electrolyte Composition: Sodium batteries often use non-flammable solvents, while lithium batteries typically contain volatile liquid electrolytes.​

Dendrite Formation: Lithium batteries can develop needle-like structures (dendrites) that can cause short circuits and fires, a risk not present in sodium batteries.​

 

[Johnologue]

Wikipedia (the main place I learned about sodium-ion, but I also read some articles and saw a couple industry websites a couple years back) acknowledges the aqueous/non-aqueous classifications. There may be some differences in thermal stability, etc., but the AI is just talking about "sodium batteries", so it's probably pulling information about two significantly different things and treating them as interchangeable.

 

[AZFox]

the AI is just talking about "sodium batteries", so it's probably pulling information about two significantly different things and treating them as interchangeable.

That very well could be. I closed the tab already so I lost the query, but I specifically asked about EV batteries.

 

[AZFox]

I took another swing at it... for some reason.

This time I used Brave AI, which seems to produce pretty good results for topics like this.

Q:
Is there a significant safety advantage of sodium batteries compared to LFP and NMC lithium batteries for electric vehicles?

A:
Sodium-ion batteries offer a significant safety advantage over both LFP and NMC lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles, primarily due to their superior thermal stability and lower risk of fire or explosion.

• Sodium-ion batteries have a higher onset self-heating temperature (260°C) compared to lithium-ion batteries (165°C), making them far less prone to thermal runaway.
• In safety tests, sodium-ion batteries do not emit smoke, ignite, or explode when punctured, short-circuited, overcharged, or compressed—conditions that can trigger fires in NMC and even LFP batteries.
• LFP batteries are already known for excellent safety, but sodium-ion batteries surpass them in thermal stability and safety margin, especially under extreme conditions.
• Sodium-ion chemistry uses less reactive materials and aluminum for both current collectors, reducing internal resistance and heat generation during faults.

While LFP batteries are safer than NMC, sodium-ion technology provides a more forgiving and inherently safer profile, making it particularly attractive for applications where safety is paramount—such as in fleet vehicles, urban EVs, and energy storage systems.


I didn't follow any of the reference links, but here they are:

https://bolt.earth/blog/sodium-ion-vs-lithium-ion-batteries-which-is-better-for-electric-vehicles
https://evjoints.com/ev-guide/lfp-vs-lithium-ion-vs-sodium-ion-batteries-best-ev-battery-explained/
https://www.lifepo4-battery.com/News/sodium-battery-lithium-battery.html
https://koeep.com/blogs/news/electric-vehicle-battery-comparison-which-technology-leads-in-2025
https://evreporter.com/introduction...atteries-and-comparison-with-lfp-lithium-ion/
https://www.driveelectrictn.org/wha...how-do-they-compare-to-lithium-ion-batteries/
https://www.bonnenbatteries.com/sodium-ion-battery-vs-lithium-ion-battery-a-friendly-comparison/
https://www.evlithium.com/Blog/lfp-vs-nmc-batteries-comparison.html
https://www.capture.energy/blog/solar-battery-chemistry-lfp-or-nmc
https://www.ufinebattery.com/blog/lfp-vs-nmc-battery-what-is-the-difference/

 

[catiare]

Adding to what everybody said, Sodium is cheaper as a raw material and more abundant and easier to extract.

 

[KevinRS]

Adding to what everybody said, Sodium is cheaper as a raw material and more abundant and easier to extract.

This is true, and the whole reason sodium based batteries are even being developed. I'm sure in 5 or so years, lower range vehicles will be switching to them. It just takes time to get to the efficiencies of scale to actually take advantage of the raw material cost.
For those thinking Sodium batteries won't burn, search for videos of what happens when Sodium metal is added to water. Sodium is actually more reactive than Lithium, exploding where Lithium sizzles.

 

[AZFox]

"The transition is not just happening, it's accelerating", he says.

BYD Reveals Solid State and Sodium Battery Breakthrough - 10,000 Cycles!

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Wow! Look at that guy's facial expression.

I can't watch - I don't think I can handle the hype explosion.

Why can't YouTubers just act normal?

 

[phidauex]

Wow! Look at that guy's facial expression.

I can't watch - I don't think I can handle the hype explosion.

Why can't YouTubers just act normal?

Yeah, its called "youtube face" and it basically prevents me from watching anything on youtube anymore. They are so starved for ad impressions that they have to make every small thing seem like a massive revelation. MASSIVE BREAKTHROUGH - ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED - SOANDSO CLAPPED BACK???

People are used to rapid product announcements and releases in the consumer electronics field and expect infrastructure like renewable energy and energy storage to follow a similar pattern, when really, breakthroughs take many years to come to fruition. But that doesn't sell as many clicks...

 

[ElectricShitbox]

Yeah, its called "youtube face" and it basically prevents me from watching anything on youtube anymore. They are so starved for ad impressions that they have to make every small thing seem like a massive revelation.

I think you could fix a big percentage of internet related problems by banning algorithmic feeds.

 

[AZFox]

I didn't know "YouTube Face" had a name, but I've been noticing it for quite some time. It's annoying. There must be some sort of persuasion technique at the root of it.

Here's another Thumbnail Face Dude who thinks sodium ion battery technology aligns neatly with where EV growth is happening. His expression is slightly less off-putting, at least.

CATL and BYD Are Betting on a New Battery Type — And It’s Not Lithium

 

[TomFrank]

I didn't know it had a name either. At least it isn't Mar-a-Lago face.

 

[AZFox]

For those thinking Sodium batteries won't burn, search for videos of what happens when Sodium metal is added to water. Sodium is actually more reactive than Lithium, exploding where Lithium sizzles.

Sodium-ion electrolytes and materials may be possible to burn, but their important characteristic is that they tend to be less reactive and safer than lithium-ion electrolytes and materials.