The world’s largest EV battery manufacturer, CATL, announced yesterday its third-generation cell-to-pack technology (CTP), Qilin. The improvements in the pack, including increased pack-level energy density for ternary and LFP batteries, faster charging time, and safer operation, may help CATL move beyond the price increases from Q1 2022 and retain current client Tesla, who may be looking to other suppliers for its LFP batteries.

Battery chemistry is changing rapidly and is being influenced by material price volatility, supply constraints, and politics. While lithium-based batteries are the current standard, lithium is not the only option for batteries. Sodium is one alternative. Here are the factors affecting its use and the future of lithium.