The Surprising Flaws in 18650 lithium -Ion Batteries

[skippydiesel]

Thought provoking

 

Some further reading https://www.lumafield.com/battery-report😈

[onetrack]

The old adage is still just as applicable today as it ever was - you get exactly what you pay for. You buy cheap Chinese product, you're going to be lobbed with lots of shortcuts in the construction.

 

My feeling is that sodium ion batteries are soon going to replace lithium ion batteries in many applications - including EV's.

 

https://cleantechnica-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/cleantechnica.com/2026/01/29/researchers-improve-sodium-ion-batteries-almost-4x-with-thin-layer-of-activated-carbon

 

[Bernie]

15 hours ago, onetrack said:

The old adage is still just as applicable today as it ever was - you get exactly what you pay for. You buy cheap Chinese product, you're going to be lobbed with lots of shortcuts in the construction.

 

My feeling is that sodium ion batteries are soon going to replace lithium ion batteries in many applications - including EV's.

 

https://cleantechnica-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/cleantechnica.com/2026/01/29/researchers-improve-sodium-ion-batteries-almost-4x-with-thin-layer-of-activated-carbon

 

I have a friend who already has Sodium batteries in his motorhome 

 

[BurnieM]

Will Prowse has a good Youtube channel about solar panels, batteries etc - https://www.youtube.com/@WillProwse/videos

 

He does not seem too keen on Sodium-Ion.

 

[onetrack]

Yes, the simple problem with Sodium-ion batteries right at the present moment, is that they're well behind Lithium-ion as regards energy density - around a maximum of 170 Wh/kg, as compared to 200-300 Wh/kg for mature Lithium-ion designs.

But Sodium-ion batteries have one huge advantage over Lithium - low cost. Lithium prices are high, and it's a costly product to mine and process. Sodium is much more abundant in the Earth, and cheaper to source.

 

In addition, Sodium-ion batteries can be transported at zero voltage, making them much safer than Lithium batteries. They have a much better thermal and safety profile, with a far less chance of battery runaway thermal events.

Sodium-ion can handle high temperatures as well as very low temperatures much better than Lithium. The very cold countries are constantly griping about poor Lithium-ion performance in very cold weather.

 

At present, the Sodium-ion battery is only complementary in the battery lineup - they're good for stationary applications, and because they're much cheaper, they're suitable for low-cost small EV's and items such as scooters and bikes.

 

There will need to be design improvements in Sodium-ion batteries before they can become a better choice than Lithium-ion. However, I believe it won't be long before those Sodium-ion design improvements become available.

Both the Chinese and American battery producers are dead-set on getting away from Lithium if they can - but for two different reasons.

 

The Americans are constantly concentrating on abundant elements for batteries, on the basis that no-one can then hold them to ransom, because of rare element availability limitations. But the Chinese are looking for the holy grail of an excellent battery chemistry that is cheap, as well as having good performance. The Chinese know, that low pricing rules, if you want to dominate the market, and make the product easily available to everyone.

 

https://bolt.earth/blog/sodium-ion-vs-lithium-ion-batteries-which-is-better-for-electric-vehicles?srsltid=AfmBOoryIr0RAs6KEDCiHhMQmOP_2Yg7BML2_5-mQYhvxGn6TD4jo-HQ

 

https://carnewschina.com/2026/01/30/catl-byd-fast-track-sodium-ion-battery-shift-as-lithium-prices-soar/

 

 

[danny_galaga]

On 31/01/2026 at 1:00 PM, onetrack said:

The old adage is still just as applicable today as it ever was - you get exactly what you pay for. You buy cheap Chinese product, you're going to be lobbed with lots of shortcuts in the construction.

 

My feeling is that sodium ion batteries are soon going to replace lithium ion batteries in many applications - including EV's.

 

https://cleantechnica-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/cleantechnica.com/2026/01/29/researchers-improve-sodium-ion-batteries-almost-4x-with-thin-layer-of-activated-carbon

 

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-tech/sodium-ion-batteries-vehicles-ev-fast-charge/