Have we been thinking about batteries all wrong?

For years, the battery industry has been obsessed with lithium. But what if we've been asking the wrong question? As sodium-ion batteries move into mass production and costs begin to challenge lithium iron phosphate, the race is no longer about finding one battery to rule them all—it's about choosing the right chemistry for the right job. Could this be the biggest shift in battery technology since the rise of the electric car?

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Research links

Car News China article
https://carnewschina.com/2026/06/27/catl-hits-0-051-usd-benchmark-with-175-wh-kg-changan-sodium-cells/

CATL Press Release
https://www.catl.com/en/news/6720.html

Nature article
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-02150-y

Financial Times article
https://www.ft.com/content/d8f0ac18-c669-43e0-99d4-5e90089d8598

Reuters Article
https://www.reuters.com/default/ai-energy-race-accelerates-sodium-battery-production--reeii-2026-06-29/



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