Swedish battery and storage specialist Northvolt has developed a sodium-ion battery it claims to be a “cost-effective’’ various in power storage to lithium-ion or different applied sciences.
The cell has been validated for an power density of over 160 watt-hours per kilogram on the firm’s R&D centre Northvolt Labs within the Swedish metropolis of Västerås.
“The world has put excessive hopes on sodium-ion, and I’m very happy to say that we’ve developed a know-how that may allow its widespread deployment to speed up the power transition,” Northvolt CEO Peter Carlsson stated.
“It’s an vital milestone for Northvolt’s market proposition, however battery know-how like that is additionally essential to achieve world sustainability objectives, by making electrification extra cost-efficient, sustainable and accessible worldwide.”
Northvolt’s launch comes after US start-up Peak Power led by two Tesla veterans final month had stated it plans to roll out its personal model of sodium-ion batteries by 2025 and open a giga-scale manufacturing plant the next yr – claiming it may halve the price of power storage for wind and solar energy.
The Swedish firm stated its cell – which was developed along with analysis associate Altris – is safer, less expensive and sustainable than ones based mostly on nickel, manganese, cobalt or iron phosphate chemistries. It’s also produced with minerals similar to iron and sodium which are plentiful on world markets.
Article continues beneath the advert
The cell relies on a tough carbon anode and a so-called ‘Prussian White-based cathode’, and is free from lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite, Northvolt stated. The corporate plans be the primary to industrialise Prussian White-based batteries and produce them to industrial markets.
The know-how with its low value and security at excessive temperatures is especially enticing for power storage options in markets similar to India, the Center East and Africa, Northvolt stated. It may be produced with domestically sourced supplies, which allows the event of regional manufacturing that’s impartial of conventional battery worth chains.
“Our sodium-ion know-how delivers the efficiency required to allow power storage with longer period than various battery chemistries, at a decrease value, thereby opening new pathways to deploying renewable energy technology,” Carlsson stated.
“The potential of sodium-ion on this market alone will make an incredible influence within the drive in direction of world electrification.”
Whereas Northvolt at first has designed its sodium-ion cell primarily for power storage, subsequent generations of the know-how delivering increased power density may open up alternatives for electrical mobility as properly, the corporate stated.
The Swedish firm’s product portfolio at present contains lithium-ion battery cells for automotive customers, and energy-dense lithium-metal battery know-how underneath growth for aviation and high-performance autos at Cuberg, a Northvolt unit based mostly in California.
