U.S. Officials Targeted Sodium Battery Cost Reductions
National labs and industry leaders aim to build a domestic supply chain independent of Chinese lithium dominance.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Energy
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Do you believe domestic sodium-ion battery production will improve American energy storage independence?
Argonne National Laboratory convened the inaugural Sodium Battery Summit to accelerate the adoption of sodium-ion technology in the United States. Federal officials have set aggressive cost targets for the sector, seeking to leverage domestic soda ash reserves to secure energy storage supply chains.
Why it matters
Sodium-ion batteries offer a path toward energy independence, as they rely on abundant resources and existing manufacturing infrastructure. This shift aims to reduce the current reliance on a global supply chain where China controls 80% of battery cell production.
While 9 gigawatt-hours of sodium-ion batteries were shipped globally in 2025, announced manufacturing capacity now exceeds 370 gigawatt-hours. The sector is currently utilizing existing lithium-ion production lines with minimal retooling.
The players
Argonne National Laboratory
A Department of Energy research facility that leads multi-disciplinary efforts in battery chemistry and grid storage.
LENS Consortium
A collaborative research group consisting of six national labs and eight universities focused on sodium-ion stability and cost reduction.
The details
Sodium-ion cells function by using abundant sodium as an ion source, swapping it into standardized manufacturing processes originally built for lithium-ion designs. The LENS Consortium, a group composed of six national laboratories and eight universities, is implementing a coordinated research approach to stabilize these cells. This strategy focuses on increasing energy density while maintaining safety and low production costs using California and Wyoming's soda ash reserves.
Timeline
2025: 9 gigawatt-hours of sodium-ion batteries were shipped.
September 22-23, 2026: The inaugural Sodium Battery Summit took place at Argonne National Laboratory.
2030: Target cost of below $75 per kilowatt-hour.
2035: Target cost of below $60 per kilowatt-hour.
The Tech Race
The U.S. push into sodium-ion batteries marks a strategic pivot away from the current global dependency on Chinese lithium-iron phosphate production. By leveraging the LENS Consortium's research, the U.S. aims to secure a competitive foothold in a market currently dominated by 370 gigawatt-hours of global capacity announcements.
While the technology is currently in the scaling phase, the move toward sodium-ion batteries is intended to lower costs for grid-scale energy storage providers. Consumers and industry participants will likely see the first benefits as federal cost targets drive commercial production toward the 2030 and 2035 benchmarks.
The takeaway
The transition to sodium-ion storage is gaining momentum as researchers focus on scaling production with abundant, domestic mineral supplies. Watch for upcoming research reports from the LENS Consortium as they attempt to meet the mandated price targets set for 2030.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest innovations in Energy and their role in domestic power security.
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Do you believe domestic sodium-ion battery production will improve American energy storage independence?
