The Wall Street Journal Chinese website published an article on August 10 stating: "American startups are turning decades of scientific research into reality—a battery technology that replaces rare and hard-to-source elements with common sodium from table salt. This innovation could help countries worldwide reduce their reliance on Chinese batteries and the critical minerals they require."

The signal sent by this report from the Wall Street Journal is clear: sodium-ion battery technology stands at the threshold of large-scale commercialization, with both China and the United States leading in the global 'de-lithiation' race. But its significance goes far beyond merely 'replacing lithium batteries'; it represents a strategic move centered on resource security and industrial dominance.

How should we interpret this? Let's examine it from several perspectives:

Industry analysts point out that sodium’s abundance in the Earth’s crust is over 1,000 times greater than lithium’s, and it can be extracted directly from seawater at extremely low cost—directly addressing the anxiety expressed in the report about reducing dependency.

China has already taken the lead

Northvolt (likely referring to CATL, or Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited) has just secured a massive 60 GWh energy storage order and announced plans to begin mass production by the end of this year. BYD, EVE Energy, and others are aggressively expanding production capacity and stockpiling raw materials. Data shows that sodium-ion cathode material shipments have surged by 122.2% year-on-year as of 2025.

Challenges remain to be overcome: currently, sodium-ion batteries have an energy density of around 175 Wh/kg—still lower than mainstream lithium-ion batteries—and are not yet suitable for long-distance travel. Moreover, the industry lacks sufficient supply of key hard carbon anode materials (currently dependent on imported coconut shells), which remains a bottleneck today.

Sodium-ion batteries are a 'backup', not a 'replacement'

The Wall Street Journal portrayed sodium-ion batteries as the 'key to breaking free from dependence,' but the industry consensus is actually one of 'complementarity between lithium and sodium':

Primary applications in energy storage and extreme cold environments: Sodium-ion batteries are cheaper and safer, maintaining nearly 90% of their capacity even at -40°C. They are ideal for energy storage stations in northeastern China and Inner Mongolia, as well as for low-temperature electric vehicles.

Cost advantage is not yet clear-cut: Currently, sodium-ion battery costs (~0.45 RMB/Wh) remain higher than those of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries (~0.4 RMB/Wh), and are highly sensitive to fluctuations in lithium carbonate prices.

Strategic competition: Beyond business, it’s a battle for supply chain control

The core term in the report is 'dependence on China.' This underscores that the technology originated in China—whether in terms of energy density or maturity of industrial chains, Chinese companies like CATL are absolute leaders.

· The U.S. is trying to catch up: Companies such as Peak Energy in the U.S. are building factories and laying out strategies, aiming to compete with China in the large-scale energy storage arena.

Thus, fundamentally, this is a reconfiguration of natural resource advantages: China aims to upgrade from being a 'lithium mineral player' to a 'technology platform leader,' while the U.S. seeks to bypass lithium mining constraints. However, in the short term, China’s first-mover advantage in sodium-ion battery technology remains substantial.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873191473931339/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.