Led by researchers from the Chinese language Academy of Sciences, HiNa’s objective is to commercialize sodium-ion know-how in an trade dominated by lithium. To ship that, it has constructed labs to develop its personal chemistries and factories to make cells at scale.
HiNa started mass manufacturing final yr, bringing two sodium-ion merchandise to market. One is a cube-shaped battery for storing electrical energy; it’s already powering commercial-scale vitality storage stations in China, together with one in Hubei Province that started operation in July 2024. The opposite product is a cylindrical battery already being utilized in electrical mopeds (that are ubiquitous in China) and different small automobiles.
In comparison with their lithium counterparts, sodium-ion batteries carry out higher in chilly environments and may cost sooner, however they’ve decrease vitality density. This implies a sodium-ion battery carries much less vitality than a lithium-ion battery of the identical dimension—an issue for vehicles, since meaning shorter vary.
HiNa says it’s going to proceed to extend its merchandise’ vitality density by way of technological improvements, corresponding to through the use of more-efficient supplies for the cathode and anode and bettering batteries’ construction. At the moment, the vitality density of its cube-shaped battery is 165 watt-hours per kilogram—round 80% of that of a lithium iron phosphate battery, the mainstream lithium battery in China.
Key indicators
- Trade: Power storage
- Based: 2017
- Headquarters: Beijing, China
- Notable reality: HiNa was based by Chen Liquan, a researcher on the Chinese language Academy of Sciences, and three of his college students, with assist from the academy. Chen is dubbed “the daddy of Chinese language lithium batteries” for main a group that developed the nation’s first such cell three many years in the past. At 85, Chen nonetheless oversees HiNa’s analysis and improvement with one of many college students—the corporate’s chairman, Hu Yongsheng.
Potential for affect
The worldwide sodium-ion market continues to be in its infancy, and its future is unsure, however HiNa’s endeavor has supplied a possible answer for the world to realize net-zero carbon emissions with out overly counting on a handful of crucial minerals, whose manufacturing has drawn environmental, humanitarian, and geopolitical issues.
Within the vitality storage sector—sodium-ion batteries’ principal space of utilization—they’re anticipated to seize as much as 30% of the worldwide market by 2030. The 50-megawatt vitality storage plant in Hubei Province alone is projected to keep away from an estimated 13,000 tons of carbon dioxide yearly, which is roughly equal to eradicating about 3,000 gas-powered vehicles from the highway.
Caveats
HiNa faces an enormous query: Can sodium-ion batteries thrive commercially? Lithium-ion cells are projected to stay cheaper and extra highly effective within the foreseeable future. The unit worth of sodium-ion batteries is at the moment about 60% larger than that of lithium ones, however their theoretical manufacturing price ought to finally be round a 3rd decrease than that of lithium-ion cells. Trade analysts say HiNa and different sodium-ion battery makers should make sure that prospects can get extra bang for his or her bucks with the intention to create a market.
Chinese language lithium-battery behemoths are additionally making strikes into sodium, upping stress on specialist corporations like HiNa. CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, has stated it’s going to mass-produce sodium-ion batteries for electrical vehicles by the tip of this yr. In the meantime, EV big BYD is constructing an enormous manufacturing unit in japanese China devoted to creating sodium-ion cells.
Subsequent steps
HiNa’s plan is to give attention to a couple of submarkets. It says that sectors corresponding to heavy vehicles and vitality storage symbolize large potential due to China’s large home market.
The corporate goals to launch a fast-charging sodium-ion battery that powers heavy vehicles this month. The battery can totally cost in simply 20 minutes, in response to HiNa. The characteristic is anticipated to be a draw for truck drivers, who can not afford lengthy pit stops.
