Reasons for the breakthrough in sodium battery technology

Are sodium-based batteries Cramming more energy into a smaller package?

And crucially, sodium-based batteries have recently been cramming more energy into a smaller package. In 2022, the energy density of sodium-ion batteries was right around where some lower-end lithium-ion batteries were a decade ago—when early commercial EVs like the Tesla Roadster had already hit the road.

Is sodium a good battery material?

Sodium, common in ocean water and soda ash mining, is an inherently more environmentally friendly battery material. The LESC research has made it a powerful one as well. Innovative architecture To create a sodium battery with the energy density of a lithium battery, the team needed to invent a new sodium battery architecture.

What is a sodium ion battery?

In a sodium-ion battery, lithium ions are replaced with sodium ions in the battery's cathode, and lithium salts swapped for sodium salts in the electrolyte. Sodium-ion batteries have been around for decades, but large-scale development of the technology was abandoned in favor of lithium-ion batteries. The technology is now getting a second look.

Could a sodium battery be more affordable?

The paper, published today in Nature Energy, demonstrates a new sodium battery architecture with stable cycling for several hundred cycles. By removing the anode and using inexpensive, abundant sodium instead of lithium, this new form of battery will be more affordable and environmentally friendly to produce.

How much energy does a sodium ion battery use?

Northvolt said on Tuesday that it had now validated a sodium-ion battery at the critical level of 160 watt hours per kilogramme, an energy density close to that of the type of lithium batteries typically used in energy storage.

Are sodium-based batteries better than lithium-ion batteries?

Sodium is similar to lithium in some ways, and cells made with the material can reach similar voltages to lithium-ion cells (meaning the chemical reactions that power the battery will be nearly as powerful). And crucially, sodium-based batteries have recently been cramming more energy into a smaller package.