Table 1. A Brief Comparison of Li-Ion and Mg-Ion Batteries.

feature	Li-ion batteries	Mg-ion batteries
cathode material	lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), or others are typically used	utilize magnesium intercalation compounds
anode material	graphite is commonly used	magnesium metal or magnesium alloys
energy density	high energy density	potentially higher energy density than Li-ion
specific energy	generally lower than Mg-ion batteries	higher specific energy per unit mass
cycle life	good cycle life, but degrades over time	cycle life may still be improving
charging speed	fast charging capabilities	charging speed improvements are underway
safety	generally safe, but some risk of thermal runaway	potentially safer due to magnesium’s nature
cost	relatively mature technology; cost-effective	still in development; may be costlier
commercialization	widely used in various applications	still in the research and development stage
environmental impact	lithium extraction and disposal can have impacts	magnesium is more abundant and less toxic