However, each sodium ion is larger than an equivalent lithium ion. As a result, battery researchers have struggled to produced an anode — the battery’s positively charged electrode/terminal — that can absorb enough sodium ions to give a sodium-based battery cell the energy density required to power an EV.

Plus, lithium is the least dense metal known to science, which makes it by default lighter than sodium. Given that weight is a crucial factor in an EV’s energy consumption and, in turn, range, the heavier sodium-ions have seemed like a less suitable option.

Three reasons why sodium has nevertheless sparked interest

1. It’s abundant

Sodium is a common element that’s usually mined from soda ash, but it can basically be found anywhere, including in seawater — and we have plenty of it.

According to the Faraday Institution, sodium is the seventh most abundant element and 1,200 times more common than lithium, while it’s more evenly distributed around the world. 

2. It’s cheaper

Sodium’s abundance naturally makes it a less expensive option. It also costs less to extract and purify it.

Plus, sodium-ion cells can be made with ample metals such as iron and manganese. In contrast, lithium-ion batteries require cobalt, a metal with limited geological reserves that’s also the most expensive part of the battery, priced at approximately $28,500 per ton.

In addition to that, sodium-based cells can be manufactured using existing battery equipment, so they wouldn’t require costly redesigns to be put in production.

3. It’s safer

Sodium batteries not only perform better at a wider temperature range (especially in cold environments), but are nonflammable and there’s no thermal runaway — which can usually cause lithium-ion batteries to catch fire. 

Safety risks are also reduced during transit. Manufacturers can transport sodium-ion batteries with the battery terminals directly connected and the voltage held at zero.

In contrast, lithium-ions batteries need to be transported in a partially charged state to avoid the dissolution of the copper current collectors they contain, which in turn increases the risk of fire.

The best EV sodium-ion example we have so far

In July, Chinese battery company CATL unveiled its first-generation sodium-ion battery, with plans to ramp up the sodium supply chain by 2023.

CATL’s product is expected to have an energy density of 160Wh/kg and will take 15 minutes to reach 80% of its charge. That’s actually on par with lithium-ion batteries currently on the market, ranging from 140 Wh/kg to 240Wh/kg in the highest-end types. 

The company also plans to use its AB battery pack solution which will integrate both sodium-ion and lithium-ion cells.

But there are even bigger reasons to avoid lithium ion batteries:

Lithium ion batteries: Cause wars, rape and genocide in the Congo, Afghanistan and Bolivia from the corrupt mining deals involved with mining lithium and cobalt; are insider trading-owned by ex-CIA boss Woolsey and DOE Boss Chu;  excrete chemicals that mutate fetuses when they burn; destroy your brain, lungs and nervous system when they burn; kill the factory workers who make them; cause Panasonic to be one of the most corrupt companies in the world; poison the Earth when disposed of; can't be extinguished by firemen; poison firemen when they burn; are based on criminally corrupt mining schemes like URANIUM ONE; Have over 61 toxic chemicals in them; come from an industry that spends billions on internet shills and trolls used to nay say all other forms of energy; are insider-trading owned by corrupt U.S. Senators who are running a SAFETY COVER-UP about their dangers. Apple products with lithium ion batteries have been exploding and setting people on fire; over time the chemical dendrites inside each battery grow worse and increase the chances of explosion as they age - LITHIUM ION BATTERIES BECOME MORE AND MORE LIKELY TO EXPLODE AS TIME GOES ON AND AS THEY AGE; "Bad Guys" have figured out how to make them explode remotely; have their dangers hidden by CNN and MSM because pretty much only the DNC people profit from them; are the heart of Elon Musk's stock market scam.

The Obama Administration promised Silicon Valley oligarchs the market monopoly on lithium ion batteries and the sabotage of fuel cells in exchange for campaign financing and search engine rigging; United States Senators that are supposed to protect us from these deadly products own the stock market assets of them so they protect them and stop the FDA, OSHA, DOT & NHTSA from outlawing them. Lithium-ion batteries, which also require mining rare earth metals, are difficult and dangerous to recycle, difficult to dispose of without polluting the environment and it takes about 67,000 cubic feet of water to mine a tonne of lithium salt. The carbon costs of producing lithium-ion batteries from mining to shipping to manufacturing the final product compared to that of fuel cells is awful. The lifetime costs of replacing and recycling Li-ion Batteries periodically versus maintaining Fuel cell systems is also awful..

NiCAD and Hundreds of other battery chemistries DO NOT have all of these problems but Lithium Ion batteries get a monopoly because of politician insider trading ownerships. A recent fire on U.S. Highway 101 near Mountain View, CA, burned the driver alive and killed him. In Florida two kids died in a Tesla, burned alive, screaming in agony. A man died in agony in a Tesla crash in Malibu that set Malibu Canyon on fire. A young woman, at the start of life, and her boyfriend were burned alive in their crashed Tesla. There are many more deaths and crashes than you have heard about. The deaths and the cover-ups are endless. Senators Dianne Feinstein, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris and their associates own the stock in Tesla Motors and/or it's suppliers and mining companies and they cover-up and halt investigations and laws designed to save the public. Evan Halper, Elon Musk and their crony's, spend over $1B a year to shill and troll hype about lithium ion batteries and cover-up the dangers. Lithium ion EVs are more prone to battery fires. Experts say that their lithium-ion batteries can fuel hotter fires that release toxic fumes and are more difficult to put out. Lithium ion fires keep reigniting which explains why it takes so long and requires copious amounts of water or foam (it is an electric fire, after all) to smother the flames. Tesla employee Bernard Tse and his team warned Elon Musk about these dangers in 2008 and they got fired and/or warned to "say nothing" by Musk. Three top Tesla engineers died in a plane crash next to Tesla offices in San Carlos after two of them agreed to become whistle-blowers.

Elon Musk exists because he bribed DNC politicians and Senators Feinstein, Reid, Boxer, Harris, Clinton and Pelosi to give him free taxpayer cash and government resources from the Dept. of Energy and the Calif treasury. DOE has been covering-up organized crime activities at DOE in which DOE funds are being used as a slush-fund to pay off DNC campaign financiers and to pay for CIA/GPS Fusion-Class attacks on Silicon Valley business competitors of those DNC campaign financiers who DOE staff share stock market holdings with. Elon Musk is a criminal, a mobster, an asshole, a bald fake-hair wearing, plastic surgery-addicted, douchebag, woman-abusing, sex addicted, tax evader. Musk exploits poor people and child slaves in the Congo and Afghanistan to mine his lithium and Cobalt.

Musk spends billions per year to hire Russian trolls, fake blogger fan-boys and buy fake news self-aggrandizement articles about himself. Musk thinks he is the 'Jesus' of Silicon Valley. Fake News manipulator Google is run by Larry Page and Larry is Musk's investor and bromance butt buddy. Musk uses massive numbers of shell companies and trust funds to self-deal, evade the law and hide his bribes and stock market insider trading. A huge number of Tesla drivers have been killed; pedestrians and oncoming drivers have also been killed, and Musk covers it up. The DNC and the MSM refuse to allow any articles about Musk's crimes to be printed because they benefit from Musk's crimes. Musk has been professionally diagnosed as a 'psychotic narcissist.'A 'Silicon Valley Mafia; cartel of frat boy sociopath venture capitalists like Steve Jurvetson, Tim Draper, Eric Schmidt, et al; threaten those who do not support the cult of Tesla or their political candidates. In EVERY blog that you read that mentions 'Musk', at least 1/3 of the comments have been placed their by Musk's paid shills. Musk holds the record for getting sued for fraud by his investors, wives, former partners, employees, suppliers and co-founders. Elon Musk has gone out of his way to hire hundreds of ex-CIA staff and assign them to "dirty tricks teams" to attack his competitors and elected officials who Musk hates. Musk never founded his companies. Musk's "Starlink" satellites are domestic spy and political manipulation tools - never get your internet from one.

Musk stole Tesla in a hostile ownership take-over from Marty the true inventor of the Tesla. The same kind of EMF radiation proven to cause cancer from cell phones exists in massive amounts in a Tesla. Musk can't fix a car or build a rocket and has almost no mechanical skills. If you pull a report of every VIN# of every Tesla ever built and cross reference that with insurance, repair and lawsuit records you will find that the "per volume" fire, crash, death and defect rate is THE WORST of any car maker in history! Musk is a lying con artist and partners with Goldman Sachs to rig the stock market. Sachs has a dedicated team of 18 men who rig stocks and valuation bumps for Musk. Over 1000 witnesses can prove every one of those claims in any live televised Congressional hearing! Senators Dianne Feinstein, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris and their associates own the stock in Tesla Motors and/or it's suppliers and mining companies. That is why they criminally help cover-up investigations of Tesla! All of this was reported, in writing, to James Comey, Patricia Rich and David Johnson at the FBI. The DNC bosses own the stock in lithium, Solar and EV markets and use kickbacks from those markets (Especially via convoluted campaign finance laundering via Elon Musk) to finance the DNC. The DNC bosses use character assassination as their main political tool against any member of the public who speaks out against their felony stock market scams and PizzaGate-like scandals. The Harvey Weinstein reports by Ronan Farrow show that they have teams of hired goons that they pay to destroy people's lives.

They use Black Cube, Mossad, In-Q-Tel, Stratfor, Gawker Media, Gizmodo Media, Media Matters, David Brock, Sid Blumenthal, NY Times, Google servers, Facebook servers, Podesta Group, Perkins Coie, Covington & Burling and a host of "assassins". It should be a felony to hire character assassins in the USA. DEMAND A LAW and DEMAND the termination of these attack services. IE: Gawker and Gizmodo Media sets-up the attack stories and, in paid partnership with Google, Google kicks their attack links around the globe, in front of 8 Billion people, forever. Google locks the attack articles of its enemies on the front top search results of Google search results forever, on purpose! That is why Google is being terminated in the largest, most well resourced anti-corruption public service take-down in history! Tesla and Musk are protected by shareholders Harris, Pelosi, Feinstein, Brown and Newsom. Panasonic (indicted for bribery and Musk's partner) spends billions of dollars annually cover-up lithium battery fires and battery defects.

The Musk empire has paid more bribes to politicians than almost any other modern entity. That is why no full investigation of the Musk scams has ever been completed. Google's Eric Schmidt and Larry Page have a bromance relationship with Musk and use the global resources of Alphabet to hide any negative news about Musk assets.The 2008 Department of Energy Cleantech Crash proves that a federal agency was used as just one big slush-fund to pay-off political campaign financiers, operate insider-trading stocks and sabotage those financiers competitors using taxpayer-financed resources! We have used private investigator, FBI resources and deep AI research to reveal that all government staff working on our application were getting quid-pro-quo...they were on the take. (Can anyone point out to us EVEN ONE person who was in the DOE/White House loop who was not working for, invested in, getting a future job from or other wise conflicted?) What do you do when The U.S. Government convinces you to invest millions of dollars, and your life, into one of their projects. Then their project turns out to be a scam where they had covertly hard-wired the upside to a couple of Senator's and their campaign financier friends. The fix was in and the game was rigged to use a government program as a slush-fund for friends-with-benefits. We, and the public, got defrauded.

Now the damages must be paid for, one way, or another. Every one of the insiders who did get government funding got it in the exact same size and order as their covert political campaign funding and stock market bribes to the deciders. Chamath Palihapitiya and other Silicon Valley insiders have now exposed the fact that Greylock, Kleiner, etc. are just a VC Ponzi Scheme! in this whole mess. Musk used crooked Senators to get his funds. Those Senators and government agency bosses were financed by, friends with, sleeping with, dating the staff of, holding stock market assets in, promised a revolving door job or government service contracts from, partying with, personal friends with, photographed at private events with, making profits by consulting for, exchanging emails with, business associates of or directed by; one of those business adversaries, or the Senators and politicians that those business adversaries pay campaign finances to, or supply political search engine manipulation services to. Elon Musk is notorious for getting Department of Energy money by bribing public officials and placing his friends: Steven Chu, Matt Rogers, Steve Westly, Steve Spinner's 'special friend', etc. on the staff of the Department of Energy and in the White House. We have FBI-class records, financial tracking, emails, stock market relay records and other forensic data that proves it. We can swear, warrant, certify and prove these assertions in front of Congress in a live Congressional hearing or Civil Jury trial, given non-compromised legal backing.

If you think you have bribed the same number of Senators, bought a President and taken over most of the Department of Energy like Musk did... go for it! In this day and age, with every citizen able to track every public figure, with FBI-quality databases, on their home computers, it might be a crash-and-burn but you are welcome to try. Lithium metals, and other rare earth mining materials, are monopolized by Elon Musk and his Silicon Valley Cartel, in rare-earth corrupt mining scams. Lithium's widespread use in cars is hindered by a challenging obstacle: upon multiple charge-discharge cycles, fractal filaments called dendrites always grow through the electrolyte from the negative to the positive electrode and short-circuit the battery from the inside, thus guaranteeing that Tesla Cars will eventually all explode. Musk and Panasonic have known this since 2007 (They are "dumping" the batteries via Tesla) and have paid U.S. Senators, who own stock in Tesla, to cover it up.

The lithium fires and toxic vapors are a major safety concern because they have killed, poisoned and injured too many citizens. Musk gets away with his scams because he pays U.S. Senators bribes with stocks in his corporations and has a thousand crooked Goldman Sachs investment bankers selling his hair-brained schemes to your parents pension funds. Tesla is known as "the official car of douche-bags". The safety defect cover-ups on the Tesla are extreme. Musk's narcissistic trophy-wife mom and his extremist father (who got his young sister pregnant) are thought to be the cause of Musk's racism and sociopath behaviors. He is the #1 crony capitalist government mooch in America and has received billions of dollars of your tax money to help him buy his mansions, starlets and sex parties. His cars and rockets blow up, his tunnels are unsafe, his satellites spy on consumers and his brain chip company tortures small animals. He swiped all of his technology from someone else and has never come up with his own inventions. Space-X is just a domestic spying company. Don't buy Musk's bullshit about Space-X doing any good deeds. Everything Space-X launches is to spy on the poor folks on the ground and monitor their internet. Also, Musk's Neuralink company tortures small animals to try out Musk's pseudo-science mind-reading chips.