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adambant avatar image
adambant asked

New Sodium Ion battery Victron support

Sodium Ion batteries are starting to hit the market. They promise much cheaper per kw/Hr Than current Lithium Ion batteries. Much wider charging and discharging ranges ( from -40C to 55C), and higher charge/discharge rates. And literally bulletproof and firepro Has any testing been done with Victron equipment on the support of the voltage levels, charge rates, absorption, flat and bulk levels etc?

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6 Answers
Matthias Lange - DE avatar image
Matthias Lange - DE answered ·

Almost all Victron products have a wide range for configuring the voltages.

Just take a look at the datasheets and use the feature of VE.config to simulate a device to see what you can do.

https://www.victronenergy.com/live/battery_compatibility:start#general_information_about_batteries_that_have_not_been_tested_by_victron

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adambant avatar image
adambant answered ·

Yea I realize that I can go into expert mode on my MPPT and tweak things. But also I like that I can for instance select the "LiFePO4" setting for the battery as a starting point. Just curious if NaIon will be added to the list with the others already there.

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snoobler avatar image
snoobler answered ·

I don't think it's reasonable to have equipment list every single type of chemistry. LTO has been around for some time, but I'm not seeing it included. 3.7V NCA/NMC/LMO chemistry isn't included either, and it's been around the longest.


While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with Victron's LFP settings, they aren't optimal for all cases. Different applications and desired outcomes may mandate altering presets. IMHO, no user/installer should simply rely on presets. They should know their battery/systems and make an informed decision.


If Na-Ion becomes the gold standard, sure... but that remains to be seen.


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adambant avatar image adambant commented ·
I will let you know. :-) I will probably build my next battery pack from them. If the cost advantages (2-3x cheaper) hold up, then I think it will be a game changer. Only downside I see is the energy density is a tad lower than current (and mature tech already) LiFePO4 batteries. But for stationary power applications, and that combined with the big additional charge/discharge temp range, and of course the lower prices, I think once they get into mass production they will be the new gold standard. LTO fails in this regard due to the much higher cost per kw/Hr, however their temp ranges offset that somewhat if you really need a harsh environment battery.
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snoobler avatar image snoobler adambant commented ·

Please do! :)


A quick Google search yields Na-Ion cells at 3-4X the price of LFP per kWh. I don't think we're going to see costs below LFP for several years. I'd love to be wrong!

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josecokem avatar image
josecokem answered ·

I have been checking voltages of victron multiplus II that go from 36 low and 56 top aprox so my view is that you cannot use properly sodium because this batteries go 2,4 low to 4 top so is not possible to make a sum of cells and be able to use the 100% of the battery. I am missing something?

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snoobler avatar image snoobler commented ·

According to the manual, 48V units go from 38-66V:


https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/MultiPlus-II_3kVA_5kVA_120V/32424-MultiPlus-II___Quattro-II_120V-230V-pdf-en.pdf


16S would run 40-64V

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josecokem avatar image josecokem snoobler commented ·
really appreciate your reply, yes but this is for the inverter, the charger range of my multiplus II peaks at 57,6 in the pdf manual. So this means that I could charge the battery via solar mppt at their full range and convert to AC it in full range BUT AC charge is limited to 57,6?


thank you.
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davefromnl avatar image
davefromnl answered ·

While sodium based chemistries have a few big advantages, one of those is also it's biggest disadvantage. Due to the large voltage range over the SOC, the current will also vary over a large range with the same load. A MPII 5k at full load (4kW) will pull 62A when the battery is full and 105A when the battery is almost empty. You'll have to take that into account when designing your system. Not only cable diameters, but also the routing to be able to vent the heat away.

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smueff1970 avatar image
smueff1970 answered ·

As with all batteries, it is recommended to cycle rather gently. It is good not to load the system to the maximum DC current. So it will also work with sodium batteries.

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VictronConnect VE.Bus charging manual  

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