Hina Battery Predicts Sodium Ion Battery Costs to Match Lithium by 2028

Li Shujun, general manager of Hina Battery, recently stated in an interview that the price difference between sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries is expected to disappear within the next two years. He pointed out that while sodium-ion battery costs have been falling sharply, lithium-ion prices have risen slightly, bringing the two price ranges closer to an overlap.

At present, lithium-ion batteries cost between 0.3 and 0.5 yuan per watt-hour, depending on the cell chemistry and application. In contrast, sodium-ion batteries are priced from 0.5 to 0.7 yuan per watt-hour. High costs have so far limited the widespread use of sodium-ion technology, but Li anticipates that the two battery types will reach price parity by 2027 or 2028. He expects the first point of convergence to appear next year, with a broader overlap following in the year after. According to Li, reaching this milestone would indicate that the market has accepted sodium-ion technology as a mainstream battery option, boosting confidence among electric vehicle makers and energy storage system developers.

Speaking at Hina’s 2026 Global Sodium Battery Industry Ecology Conference, Li predicted that by 2028, demand from the performance battery sector will push sodium-ion production to an industrial scale measured in hundreds of gigawatt-hours. He estimated that cell costs would drop to around 0.3 yuan per watt-hour, while energy density for power-type sodium-ion batteries would exceed 180 watt-hours per kilogram, thanks to continued improvements in materials and manufacturing processes.

Several major battery producers and automakers are already pushing forward with sodium-ion commercialization. In April 2025, CATL unveiled its Naxtra sodium-ion battery, which delivers an energy density of 175 Wh/kg and can power a Changan Automobile model with a 400 km electric range, scheduled for launch in mid-2026. BYD has developed a sodium-ion cell rated for 10,000 cycles, and BAIC Group’s Aurora sodium-ion battery offers a range of up to 450 km. Meanwhile, LG Energy Solution plans to complete a pilot production line this year and begin sample production shortly after. These developments highlight growing industry momentum behind sodium-ion technology as a cost-competitive alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries.