Chinese scientist Lu Yaxiang's decade-long sodium battery breakthrough
After ten years, a 'impossible' sodium-ion battery breakthrough nears commercial viability.
Deep Dive
Professor Lu Yaxiang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Physics, has spent a decade working to make sodium-ion batteries commercially viable, according to an SCMP article.
Key Points
- Professor Lu Yaxiang spent a decade developing a commercially viable sodium-ion battery at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
- The new battery achieves 160 Wh/kg energy density and over 6,000 charge cycles, matching lower‑end lithium‑iron‑phosphate batteries.
- Sodium is abundant and cheap, potentially reducing battery costs by 20–30% and easing reliance on scarce lithium supplies.
Why It Matters
A cheap, abundant sodium battery could disrupt EVs and grid storage, reducing costs and geopolitical lithium dependencies.