When I pulled the specs on 100+ portable power stations recently, one number jumped out: 94% now use LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate). A few years ago the market was full of older lithium-ion (NMC). Today LFP has all but won — it's cheaper, safer, and lasts 3,000+ cycles instead of ~500.
But in the comments on that write-up, a good question came up: is this permanent, or is another chemistry going to shake things up? The honest answer: LFP isn't getting dethroned by NMC — that ship has sailed. The chemistry actually worth watching is a newcomer, sodium-ion (Na-ion). And interestingly, it's strongest exactly where LFP is weakest.
Why LiFePO4 won in the first place
Quick recap, because it explains what a challenger has to beat:
Cost — no cobalt or nickel. This is the big one; it's why price-per-Wh has collapsed (median is around $0.61/Wh now).
