Sodium-ion vs lithium-ion batteries: how the two chemistries compare

What sodium-ion batteries are

Lithium-ion batteries power most of today's phones, laptops and electric cars, but they are not the only option on the table. Engadget has published a detailed comparison of sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries, explaining how the newer chemistry works and where it could fit in.

The two types work in a similar way. Both store and release energy by shuttling charged particles, known as ions, between two electrodes inside the cell. The difference is the element doing the work: a lithium battery moves lithium ions, while a sodium battery moves sodium ions. Everything else in the design changes as a result.

The energy density gap

The most important difference is energy density, meaning how much energy a battery can store for its weight and size. Engadget reports that sodium-ion cells reach roughly 175 watt-hours per kilogram. That is about 20 to 30 percent less than lithium-ion cells.

For comparison, Engadget cites lithium iron phosphate cells at 205 watt-hours per kilogram, while nickel manganese cobalt oxide cells, often called NMC, go higher still at about 255 watt-hours per kilogram.

Sodium ions are also bigger and heavier than lithium ions, so sodium cells need more space to hold the same charge. On top of that, sodium-ion cells run at lower voltages. For products where size and weight matter most, such as phones or long-range electric cars, this puts sodium at a clear disadvantage.

Where sodium performs well

Sodium has strengths that lithium lacks. The first is raw material supply. Sodium is abundant and cheap to obtain, while lithium is harder to source and more expensive. Engadget notes that abundance alone has not yet translated into mass production, partly because sodium cells still need other materials such as nickel and manganese, which remain hard to source at scale.

Cold weather is the second advantage. According to the IEA figures cited by Engadget, sodium-ion batteries keep about 90 percent of their capacity at minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature at which lithium-ion performance drops sharply.

Safety is the third point. Sodium cells generate less heat and need fewer protection systems, which lowers the risk of thermal runaway, the process in which an overheating battery can catch fire. Engadget stresses that sodium-ion batteries are not fireproof, but the chemistry may be more stable in a vehicle crash.

Who is building sodium-ion batteries

Several companies are already moving towards larger-scale production. Engadget names CATL and General Motors and Peak Energy among the manufacturers pushing commercial sodium-ion batteries, along with HiNa Battery Technology and Natron Energy, which is now part of Draslovka.

Most of this work targets automotive use, with some focus on power for data centres. Engadget also points to a sodium-ion battery used in a 2024 electric vehicle from JAC Motors as an early example of the technology reaching the road.

The road ahead for sodium

Lithium-ion has a huge head start. Its manufacturing is well established, lithium iron phosphate prices are competitive and supply chains are mature. Engadget notes that global sodium-ion production in 2025 was considerably lower than lithium-ion production, and that building new supply chains takes years.

Stationary storage, such as batteries that support the electric grid, is seen as a promising starting point. Those installations do not face the strict size and weight limits of electric vehicles, which softens sodium's main weakness.

The likely outcome, according to Engadget, is not a full replacement of lithium but coexistence. Sodium-ion could serve uses lithium handles poorly, such as extreme cold, or appear in hybrid packs alongside lithium cells. For buyers, that could simply mean more choice.