this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2026
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Sodium batteries won't fix the mining issue for rare earths. Lithium is not rare.
My understanding is that the lithium itself isn't the issue, it's that lithium batteries require other rare earths like cobalt where as sodium itself is not only more common than lithium, but it uses more common material like iron or tin in its battery chemistry that are also less problematic.
Go read about rare earths and what they're mostly used for, then come back when you're ready to join the discussion