I always thought that grid storage was the real value of them. What with the lower energy density.
I imagine they’d be fine for something like an E bike where the trips are rarely long enough for less capacity per pound to be a huge issue, but for something like a cross over, SUV or pickup, that extra weight or decreased range might be a serious issue.
For something like grid storage where cost and availability are the biggest constraints they seem like a perfect fit.
They are in sit down scooters and EVs already. Look up CATLs Freevoy.
If something even cheaper isn’t found, anyway.
It’d be nice if this unlocks cheap micromobility. Even if the energy density is lower with sodium, a safe lithium ion battery for an ebike costs $350 at a minimum. That’s the cost of the bike frame. The watt hours per kilo on these early sodium batteries are comparable to my $500 battery, even if it isn’t equivalent to car-sized batteries. This article says that mining the sodium carbonate for it costs 6% of the lithium equivalent with a 28% savings in production costs: https://www.laserax.com/blog/sodium-ion-vs-lithium-ion-batteries
Currently a good ebike starts at $2000~ and a basic reliable one is $1000~. Even if the charging cycles are halved, a 28% cost reduction upfront would really cut into that and reduce the anxiety from battery range/safety. And that’s to say nothing of things like electric wheelchairs which have half the range at a much higher cost.
