Zunzhi Wang of Ronbay Technology: Sodium-ion battery is a pioneer in the new energy market, not a competitor of lithium battery

In recent years, sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a new focus in the new energy materials sector, thanks to their abundant resources, low cost, and excellent safety. Within the core material system of sodium-ion batteries, cathode material, which acts as the "heart" determining battery energy density and cycling performance, has a direct bearing on the commercialization process of sodium-ion batteries with its technological maturity and industrialisation capabilities.

As we step into 2025, large-scale mass production of sodium-ion batteries is gradually becoming a reality, marking a crucial leap from laboratory to industrialisation.

The industry generally believes that sodium-ion battery cathode materials have now crossed the "performance threshold" and are entering a critical stage of cost optimization and large-scale mass production. In this process, whoever can first achieve a stable supply of high-performance materials will gain an edge in the race for sodium-ion battery industrialisation.

On July 4, Ronbay Technology (688005) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction project of an annual production capacity of 6,000 mt of sodium-ion battery polyanion cathode materials in Xiantao, Hubei. As a leading enterprise in the global cathode material sector, Ronbay Technology is anchoring its efforts on the physical capacity of polyanion cathode materials, driving the transition of sodium-ion battery cathode materials from technological breakthroughs to industrial closure, and opening up a new growth pole of "low cost + high performance" for the new energy industry.

The most advanced sodium-ion battery capacity in China is now operational

According to the information, Ronbay Technology specializes in the R&D, production, and sales of lithium/sodium-ion battery cathode materials. It has led global sales of ternary cathode materials for four consecutive years, maintained the top position in the LMFP field for two consecutive years, and also ranked first in sales of sodium-ion battery polyanion cathode materials last year.

In March this year, Ronbay Group invested an additional 1.2 billion yuan to build a new production line with an annual capacity of 6,000 mt of sodium-ion battery cathode materials, a pilot line for solid-state battery electrolytes, and Ronbay College in Xiantao, Hubei, aiming to create the world's largest modern, intelligent, and landscaped large-scale production base for high-end power lithium battery ternary cathode materials.

Among them, the Xiantao Ronbay 6,000 mt sodium-ion battery polyanion cathode material construction project is a strategic new energy industry project that Ronbay Technology has prioritized. From signing the contract in March this year to the official groundbreaking in July, it took just over a hundred days.

"This is the most cutting-edge and advanced production line today, and it will also expand production at a very rapid pace in the future," said Bai Houshan, Chairman and President of Ronbay Technology, at the groundbreaking ceremony.

"We have achieved breakthrough progress in orders from our top and strategic customers both domestically and overseas, and have secured the position of the first supplier in multiple customer projects," said Wang Zunzhi, General Manager of Ronbay Technology's Sodium-ion Battery Business Unit, at the groundbreaking ceremony. He added that this will be a production line that surpasses existing phosphate processes and product concepts, with new leading advantages capable of providing sodium-ion battery customers with products of leading performance, stable quality, and competitive costs.

It is understood that the project relies on Ronbay Technology's independently developed innovative technology system for sodium-ion battery materials. Key indicators such as product energy density and cycle life have reached internationally leading levels. Meanwhile, the project pioneers a fully integrated "raw material processing - finished product sintering" process, which can improve production efficiency by over 20%.

After the project is completed and put into operation in the future, relying on intensive design and intelligent production, it will achieve "small-scale land use and high-output returns". Upon reaching full production, the annual output value will exceed 200 million yuan, and it will become the most advanced cathode material production line in the domestic sodium-ion battery field.

According to the plan, in the future, Ronbay Group's Xiantao Park will also successively establish production lines for other high-end materials such as LMFP. Ronbay's Xiantao base will become the world's largest, most technologically advanced, and most efficient comprehensive production base for green and low-carbon cathode materials, with an expected output value exceeding 50 billion yuan.

To promote the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries, real efforts must be made in terms of performance and cost.

During the commencement ceremony, China Battery Network had an on-site dialogue with Wang Zunzhi, General Manager of Ronbay Technology's Sodium-ion Battery Business Unit.

Wang Zunzhi said, "Sodium-ion batteries are pioneers in the new energy market, not competitors of lithium-ion batteries. Currently, sodium-ion batteries have not yet achieved true market-oriented applications. It is necessary to improve performance and reduce costs to gain recognition and voluntary adoption from end-users. Ronbay's biggest competitor in the sodium-ion battery field is not other sodium-ion battery material companies, but LFP."

With the landing of a 6,000 mt production capacity for polyanion cathode materials at Ronbay's Xiantao site, on the one hand, significant improvements in the performance of polyanion materials have been achieved. On the other hand, a fully integrated process tailored for sodium-ion batteries has been pioneered, which can improve production efficiency by over 20%. Ronbay is one of the few companies in the industry that can truly reduce the cost of large-scale sodium-ion battery production. Relying on this, Ronbay's sodium-ion battery project in Xiantao will truly accelerate the industrialization process of sodium-ion batteries.

According to the "White Paper on the Development of China's Sodium-ion Battery Industry (2025)" jointly released by EVTank, Eeconomy Research Institute, and China Battery Industry Research Institute, the significant drop in lithium carbonate prices has made the cost advantages of sodium-ion batteries over lithium-ion batteries less obvious. Under the relative disadvantages of higher costs and lower performance, the industrialization development of sodium-ion batteries has not met expectations.

However, with continuous breakthroughs in technology and performance by sodium-ion battery material companies such as Ronbay Technology, coupled with the gradual improvement of the industry chain and the gradual release of scale effects, the cost advantages of sodium-ion batteries will gradually be realized. The industry generally expects that 2025 will become a critical period for the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries, with a significant acceleration in the industrialization process. It is expected that sodium-ion batteries will partially replace lithium-ion batteries and lead-acid batteries in fields such as ESS, electric two (three)-wheeled vehicles, NEVs, and start-stop systems.

"Many companies in the industry are copying the personnel, equipment, and processes of LFP for sodium-ion battery materials. While simple, this approach fails to achieve cost reduction," emphasized Zunzhi Wang. Currently, many firms anticipate sodium-ion batteries gaining traction due to rising lithium prices, but for sodium-ion batteries to truly become an independent industry, it must not rely on lithium material price hikes. Instead, they must carve out a unique path in performance and cost. The goal isn't to compete for lithium battery's market share but to expand the entire new energy pie.

In Wang's view, sodium-ion batteries possess vast market potential due to their inherent performance and cost advantages. For instance, in the power battery market, despite China's NEV penetration exceeding 50%, significant regional disparities persist—Harbin's penetration rate is less than one-tenth of Shanghai's.

It is reported that Ronbay Technology's sodium-ion battery cathode products now comprehensively cover the three mainstream technical directions: layered oxide, polyanion, and Prussian blue/white, achieving major breakthroughs. Their performance parameters, process stability, cost control, and other comprehensive indicators lead the industry.

During discussions with Battery Network, Wang noted that the entire market is shifting toward polyanion, which offers two core advantages: performance and cost. Future polyanion costs will be even lower. Ronbay Technology was an early mover in polyanion development and has made rapid progress. This year, the company aims to achieve a compaction density of 2.5 for polyanion materials.

Previous data showed that Ronbay Technology has achieved significant breakthroughs in key indicators of polyanion materials, including compaction density, capacity, and C-rate performance. Their products boast a cycle life exceeding 10,000 cycles, offering notable longevity advantages in the ESS sector. Even in extreme low-temperature environments of -30℃, they maintain high discharge capacity, with overall performance at industry-leading levels.

Regarding application scenarios for polyanion sodium-ion batteries, Wang believes the first mass application will be start-stop batteries, which offer better cost and performance advantages compared to mainstream lead-acid batteries. The second scenario is the power battery market, particularly in cold northern regions, where sodium-ion batteries' low-temperature performance excels. Coupled with the company's cost-solving technology, their advantages are especially pronounced in scenarios like taxis, ride-hailing vehicles, and trucks, where operational costs are critical. Lastly, in the ESS market, sodium-ion batteries deliver lower operational costs, safer battery cells, and a wider temperature range.

"Ronbay Technology's sodium-ion battery cathode products maintain close collaboration with leading domestic and overseas clients. They have secured leading positions with top battery producers in power, ESS, and start-stop power supply sectors, with annual shipments leading the industry. Shipments are expected to continue rapid growth through 2025."

The commencement of the 6,000 mt annual production line for sodium-ion battery cathode materials is an inevitable outcome of Ronbay Technology's "technology-order-capacity" virtuous cycle. As one of the earliest domestic enterprises to achieve scaled delivery of sodium-ion battery materials, Ronbay has established a clear commercialization path in this sector. The construction of its Xiantao base represents a strategic move to meet market demand and drive industrial upgrading.

Accelerating Transformation into "Comprehensive Cathode Material Industry Solution Provider"

Ronbay's rapid rise in the sodium-ion battery field is no coincidence. As a global leader in cathode materials, the company has built a product matrix covering all technical routes including ternary, LMFP, and sodium-ion batteries, gradually converting technological advantages into synergistic industrial ecosystem capabilities. In 2024, Ronbay officially transformed into a "comprehensive cathode material industry solution provider," focusing on full life cycle services for new energy materials across four core areas: R&D innovation, smart manufacturing, supply chain collaboration, and resource recycling, offering high-performance materials and customized solutions to global clients to support NEV, ESS, and 3C electronics industry upgrades.

In ternary cathode materials, Ronbay leads the industry in high-nickel material technology. From NCM811 to NCA series and Ni90+ ultra-high-nickel materials, the company continuously breaks energy density barriers, providing core support for NEV driving range improvement. Meanwhile, its mid-nickel high-voltage series materials have passed customer certification, forming a complementary product portfolio with high-nickel materials to meet diverse car model performance requirements.

In LMFP, Ronbay has ranked first globally for two consecutive years. In 2024, its FeMn material sales doubled, with hybrid systems completing MIIT filings for two domestic car models and pure systems securing overseas battery cell customer designations. As commercial vehicles like electric trucks emerge, LMFP material sales in high-power applications surged significantly, demonstrating unique "low-cost + long cycle" advantages.

As a strategic component of Ronbay's portfolio, sodium-ion battery materials form a complementary product echelon with other materials. This full technical route coverage enables Ronbay to provide "one-stop" material solutions for customized client needs.

Additionally, at the groundbreaking ceremony, Hou Shan Bai announced Ronbay's official entry into the LFP cathode market. The company will establish its first 10,000 mt high-end LFP production line in Europe, entering this sector with innovative and leading technologies.

It is worth mentioning that Ronbay Technology will also construct a pilot line project for solid-state battery electrolytes at its Xiantao production site. Currently, the company's ultra-high nickel ternary cathode materials and sulfide electrolyte materials for solid-state batteries have gained recognition from multiple domestic and overseas clients. The capacity and cycling performance of its all-solid-state battery cathode materials remain industry-leading, while the sulfide electrolyte pilot line is scheduled for completion in 2025.

With the accelerated implementation of three major projects—the 6,000 mt/year sodium-ion battery polyanion cathode material production facility, the solid-state battery electrolyte pilot line, and the Ronbay Academy—Xiantao Ronbay will gradually evolve into the world's largest modernized, intelligent, and landscaped high-end ternary cathode material production base for power lithium batteries.

Conclusion:

The commencement of Ronbay Technology's 6,000 mt/year sodium-ion battery cathode material production line not only marks a strategic advancement for the company but also signals the sodium-ion battery material industry's transition from the "technological breakthrough phase" to the "large-scale application phase."

As performance bottlenecks of sodium-ion battery cathode materials are overcome one by one, as scaled capacity drives costs into the commercial viability range, and as upstream and downstream players in the industry chain form synergistic innovation ecosystems, sodium-ion batteries will reach an inflection point for substitution applications in power and ESS fields.

From global leadership in lithium batteries to forward-looking deployment in sodium-ion batteries, China's new energy materials industry continues to break through along diversified technological pathways. In this industrial transformation, cathode material leaders represented by Ronbay Technology are converting the "potential" of sodium-ion batteries into "certainty" through technological innovation and capacity deployment, contributing greater momentum to the sustainable development of the global new energy industry.