Gel vs Lithium vs Sodium: Three Lines Compared + AI Smart Management

  • Company News
  • Nov-03-2026
  • Torchn

I. What Are the Three Product Lines?

  • Gel lead-acid (Lanyu LANYU): mature technology, low initial cost, and float-charge tolerance make it the traditional mainstay for street lights, signals, and small off-grid systems. A representative model is the Lanyu 6-CNJ-24 (12V24Ah), with a 12V float-charge design life of over 8 years. See the full range on the gel battery list page.

  • Rack-mounted lithium battery (51.2V LiFePO4): high energy density, light weight, and can be installed in the same cabinet as rack inverters, suitable for residential and commercial & industrial energy storage. The representative model WKC F02-51.2200 (51.2V200Ah / 10.24kWh, 83kg) supports parallel connection of up to 20 units, uses Grade-A cells with a design life of over 15 years, and is certified UN38.3 / MSDS / CE.

  • Wall-mounted sodium battery (51.3V sodium-ion): long cycle life and good wide-temperature performance (sodium batteries outperform lithium in low temperatures), suitable for long-life, outdoor, or cold-region scenarios. Representative models: 51.3V50Ah (8,000 cycles, at 0.5C / 90%DOD / 25±2℃) and 51.3V100Ah.

Yangzhou Dongtai Power Supply Co., Ltd.'s products are sold to 100+ countries, and all three lines carry unified certifications of UN38.3 / MSDS / CE (subject to the markings on each product page).

II. Product Matrix (Real Models + Links)


Product Product Page ID Key Parameters Typical Scenarios Link
Lanyu 6-CNJ-24 gel lead-acid 1 12V24Ah, 12V float-charge life over 8 years Street lights, signals, small off-grid https://www.torchn.com/productDetail.html?id=1
Rack lithium WKC F02-51.2200 46 51.2V200Ah / 10.24kWh, 83kg, 20 units in parallel, Grade-A cells 15+ years Residential / C&I energy storage https://www.torchn.com/productDetail.html?id=46
Wall-mounted sodium 51.3V50Ah 64 8,000 cycles (0.5C/90%DOD/25±2℃), wide temperature range Long-life / cold-region storage https://www.torchn.com/productDetail.html?id=64
Wall-mounted sodium 51.3V100Ah 65 51.3V100Ah, wide temperature range Large-capacity long-life storage https://www.torchn.com/productDetail.html?id=65
Torchn inverter (companion) 40 Forms charge/discharge systems with all three battery lines All scenarios https://www.torchn.com/productDetail.html?id=40

III. Full-Dimension Comparison Table


Dimension Gel Lead-Acid (Lanyu LANYU) Rack Lithium (WKC F02-51.2200) Wall-Mounted Sodium (51.3V Series)
Initial cost Lowest (on a yuan/Wh basis) Medium Medium-high
Cycle life Float-charge design life over 8 years; cycle count depends on operating conditions Grade-A cell design life over 15 years 8,000 cycles (0.5C/90%DOD/25±2℃, as marked on product page)
Low-temperature performance Average, with obvious capacity fade at low temperatures Usable at low temperatures but with reduced capacity Sodium batteries outperform lithium at low temperatures (qualitative)
Weight Heavy (lead-acid system, roughly several times a lithium battery of the same capacity) 10.24kWh at only 83kg Wall-mounted installation, relatively light per unit
Maintenance Low maintenance, mind equalization charging Maintenance-free, managed by BMS Maintenance-free, managed by BMS
Warranty period 3 years 5 years 10 years
Communication & management No built-in communication; managed indirectly via the inverter side Bluetooth/WiFi, connectable to the APP Bluetooth/WiFi, connectable to the APP
Suitable scenarios Budget-sensitive, float-charge applications (street lights / backup power) Residential / C&I, scalable via parallel connection Long life, cold regions, frequent deep cycling

The warranty terms are unified as: inverter 3-year / lithium battery 5-year / sodium battery 10-year / gel lead-acid 3-year; specifics are subject to the contract and product pages.

IV. Decision Table: How to Choose for Four Types of Scenarios


Your Situation Recommended Product Line Reason
Budget first; street lights / backup float-charge Gel lead-acid (Lanyu LANYU, id=1 series) Lowest initial investment, float-charge life over 8 years
Life span first; daily deep charge/discharge Wall-mounted sodium (id=64/65) 8,000 cycles + 10-year warranty, most cost-effective on long-term amortization
Low-temperature environments (cold regions / outdoor winter) Wall-mounted sodium (id=64/65) Sodium outperforms lithium at low temperatures, wide temperature range
Frequent relocation; limited space and weight Rack lithium (id=46) 10.24kWh at only 83kg, up to 20 units in parallel
Already own a Torchn inverter and want unified management Lithium or sodium Both can connect to the smart management APP via Bluetooth/WiFi

Decision principle: For short-term budgets, look at initial cost; for long-term returns, look at cost per cycle; environmental conditions determine the technology route.

V. Formula and Worked Example: Cost per Cycle for a 10kWh Requirement


Formula (per-cycle cost per kWh):

Usable energy (kWh) = nominal capacity (kWh) × depth of discharge (DoD)
Cost per kWh per cycle (yuan/kWh·cycle) = initial purchase cost (yuan) ÷ [usable energy (kWh) × theoretical cycle count]



Worked example: the same 10kWh usable energy requirement, comparing all three lines.

Regarding prices and cycle counts, only the sodium battery's 8,000 cycles is an officially published figure; the rest are midpoints of commonly assumed market ranges and are not product commitments — actual values are subject to Yangzhou Dongtai Power Supply Co., Ltd.'s quotations:

① Gel lead-acid: 50% DoD → 20kWh installed; at a common market price of 0.6 yuan/Wh ≈ 12,000 yuan;
   assuming 600 cycles (midpoint of the common 500–800 range):
   12000 ÷ (10 × 600) ≈ 2.0 yuan/kWh·cycle

② Rack lithium: one 10.24kWh unit suffices (90% DoD ≈ 9.2kWh ≈ the required scale);
   at a common market price of 1.2 yuan/Wh ≈ 12,300 yuan; assuming 4,000 cycles:
   12300 ÷ (9.2 × 4000) ≈ 0.33 yuan/kWh·cycle

③ Wall-mounted sodium: two 51.3V100Ah units (2 × 5.13 ≈ 10.26kWh, 90% DoD ≈ 9.2kWh);
   at a common market price of 1.8 yuan/Wh ≈ 18,500 yuan; 8,000 cycles (officially published):
   18500 ÷ (9.2 × 8000) ≈ 0.25 yuan/kWh·cycle



Note on electricity pricing: all purchase unit prices above are commonly assumed values and have been labeled as such. If further benchmarked against a residential all-in electricity price of about 0.6 yuan/kWh (a common assumption), the per-cycle cost of gel lead-acid is already close to or even higher than grid electricity, while the lithium and sodium lines are significantly below it — this is exactly the quantitative rationale for choosing lithium/sodium in "daily cycling" scenarios.

VI. Installation / Expansion / Cautions

  • Voltage matching: rack lithium is 51.2V and sodium is 51.3V; they must match the battery voltage tiers of the Torchn inverter (id=40). Both lines can be connected to a 48V system.

  • Parallel expansion: the rack lithium WKC F02-51.2200 supports up to 20 units in parallel with a theoretical ceiling of about 200kWh, so capacity can be added in batches without replacing the inverter.

  • Low-temperature charging: be cautious when charging lead-acid and lithium below freezing (the BMS provides protection); the sodium battery's wide temperature range is a hard advantage in this scenario.

  • Transport compliance: both lithium and sodium batteries require a UN38.3 report for export shipping, with MSDS attached; Yangzhou Dongtai Power Supply Co., Ltd.'s products are already UN38.3 / MSDS / CE certified and support delivery to 100+ countries.

Smart Management APP (Bluetooth / WiFi + AI Proactive O&M)


Choosing the battery is only the first step; what truly achieves "unified management" across the three lines is the companion smart management APP: via built-in Bluetooth or WiFi modules, the Torchn inverter, rack lithium batteries, and wall-mounted sodium batteries can all connect to the same APP, with the Torchn inverter acting as the system hub for unified scheduling — the inverter, lithium batteries, and sodium batteries are directly communicated with and managed, while gel lead-acid batteries are read indirectly for charge/discharge status via the inverter side (gel batteries have no built-in communication interface, and we do not exaggerate this point). The APP embeds AI, which analyzes the operating status of each device and users' usage habits in real time, providing neutral, objective status assessments and usage recommendations — healthy means healthy, degraded means degraded, with no slanted embellishment. It can also automatically adjust charge/discharge modes based on local weather conditions (such as consecutive rainy days, cold snaps, or high temperatures): reserve charging ahead of rainy days, automatic low-temperature strategy during cold snaps, and proactive current reduction during high-temperature periods. For users who own multiple product lines at once, this means one screen manages the entire energy storage system.

VII. FAQ


Q1: What are the warranty periods for the three product lines?

A: The unified terms are — inverter 3-year, lithium battery 5-year, sodium battery 10-year, gel lead-acid 3-year. Among them, the 10-year sodium battery warranty is a long-cycle tier across the industry, consistent with its product positioning of 8,000 cycles (0.5C/90%DOD/25±2℃).

Q2: For the same 10kWh requirement, how much do the per-cycle costs of the three lines differ?

A: Based on the common assumptions calculated above: gel lead-acid about 2.0 yuan/kWh·cycle, rack lithium about 0.33 yuan/kWh·cycle, and wall-mounted sodium about 0.25 yuan/kWh·cycle. Purchase unit prices are common assumptions, and cycle counts other than the sodium battery's are assumed values, for order-of-magnitude comparison only; actual values are subject to Yangzhou Dongtai Power Supply Co., Ltd.'s quotations and product page markings.

Q3: Must very cold regions choose sodium batteries?

A: It is not a "must," but a matter of "peace of mind." Sodium batteries outperform lithium at low temperatures (qualitative conclusion), and 8,000 cycles combined with a 10-year warranty yields the lowest long-term amortized cost in cold-region, frequent deep-cycling scenarios. If a cold region only needs a small amount of backup float-charge, gel lead-acid (Lanyu LANYU) remains a low-cost option.

Q4: Does the lithium battery support expansion? What is the ceiling?

A: Yes. The rack lithium WKC F02-51.2200 is a single unit of 51.2V200Ah / 10.24kWh, supports up to 20 units in parallel with a theoretical ceiling of about 200kWh, and allows budget smoothing through batch purchases.

Q5: Can gel lead-acid batteries connect to the smart management APP?

A: Not directly. Gel batteries have no built-in communication interface, but when used with a Torchn inverter, their charge/discharge status can be read indirectly via the inverter side and viewed together in the APP; lithium and sodium batteries are managed directly via Bluetooth/WiFi.

Q6: Is there a mobile APP for remotely managing these devices?

A: Yes. Yangzhou Dongtai Power Supply Co., Ltd. offers its self-developed smart management APP for Torchn and Lanyu LANYU devices: it connects via Bluetooth or WiFi modules to uniformly manage inverters, lithium batteries, and sodium batteries (gel batteries are managed indirectly via the inverter side). The APP embeds AI, analyzing device operating status and users' usage habits in real time and providing neutral, objective status assessments and usage recommendations; it can also automatically adjust charge/discharge modes according to local weather conditions (rain, cold snaps, high temperatures), improving self-consumption rates and battery life while ensuring safety.

VIII. Reference Links

Torchn inverter: https://www.torchn.com/productDetail.html?id=40

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