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Bolivia chose to partner with CATL, which produces SODIUM batteries to replace lithium batteries.
#chile, #argentina, #bolivia, #oscarvargasvillazon, March 10, 2024.
Bolivia chose CATL as its partner to test EDL technology in the Salar de Uyuni under the premise that lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have become the fundamental component of electric vehicles (EVs).

However, CATL is already producing batteries with sodium-ion (Na-ion) technology. A development that threatens the future of lithium and its producing countries such as Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.

For Bolivia, the forecasts for sodium batteries are, at the very least, worrying, from the consultancy TKN srl, of which Oscar Vargas Villazon is a partner, we believe that sodium will cut the peak of lithium demand, we will begin to see that sodium will replace lithium for certain applications.

This scenario further exposes the delay of the National Lithium Policy in Bolivia, which in 16 years has not managed to enter the lithium market and worldwide, it is already prioritizing the replacement of the white mineral.

Tech war between CATL and BYD over sodium-ion batteries.

Today, the SODIUM-ion battery sector is being mass-produced by two Chinese groups: CATL-Chery Group and BYD. The two already have electric vehicles powered by sodium-ion batteries on the market.

The batteries produced by CATL have a battery pack with a capacity of 25 kWh and an energy density of 120 Wh/kg, has a range of 252 kilometers and supports fast charging from 3C to 4C.

China is estimated to have 10 GWh of sodium-ion battery manufacturing capacity as of June 2023. The country is expected to reach 40 GWh of operational capacity by the first quarter of 2024, according to the IEA.

CATL's sodium battery has a hard carbon anode and a high-sodium Prussian white cathode. Prussian White (PW), which is the completely reduced and sodium form of Prussian Blue (PB). Compared to competing commercial batteries, Prussian blue electrodes outperform them in terms of internal resistance, sodium ion storage and transfer rate, and transfer frequency.

Batteries account for a large portion of the total cost of an electric vehicle and typically account for 30% to 40% of its value.

Lithium price volatility also prompted battery manufacturers to look for alternative technologies, including sodium-ion ones. Sodium carbonate has been trading at US$200/tonne for several years.

Although sodium-ion batteries are not expected to overtake lithium-ion batteries in the short to medium term, sodium batteries are going to survive side by side with lithium batteries (10 to 20% of the market), it will reduce dependence on a single material, this should accelerate the transition to green energy.