Are sodium-ion batteries facing their LFP moment?

Are sodium-ion batteries facing their “LFP moment”?

That’s the claim Wang Zunzhi, head of sodium-ion batteries at Ronbay Technology, one of China's largest cathode materials producers, made in Shanghai this week. He was referring to the dramatic rise in cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries over the past five years, which enabled mass market electric vehicles and large energy storage batteries for grids.

“From this year on, the whole sodium-ion industry is arriving at its own ‘LFP moment’ — probably the moment LFP had around 2020 to 2021,” he said, according to a video of his speech.

It’s an interesting comparison coming from a key company in China’s battery industry with striking implications.

LFP batteries completely transformed China’s battery market, surprising many analysts who thought their energy density was too low to compete. In 2021 LFP batteries overtook ternary (NCM) on monthly installations, and by 2025 they accounted for over 80% of EV battery installations in China. The knock-on effects for raw materials such as lithium hydroxide, cobalt and nickel, reshaped supply chains worldwide.

Are we in for a similar journey today with sodium-ion? And are people being too cautious on the rise of the technology? Let’s take a look.