The Swedish company Northvolt has announced the construction of sodium ion batteries. The cell, developed with research partner Altris, has a peak energy density of more than 160 watt hours per kilogram and is free of lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite, the company announced on Tuesday.
It is also safer, cheaper and more durable than conventional nickel, manganese and cobalt or iron phosphate batteries, which use lithium, Northvolt continues.
According to the company, the development is based on an anode (positive pole) of hard carbon and a cathode (negative pole) of so-called Prussian white, an iron-based complex. Northvolt wants to be the first company to industrially produce and market such batteries. The timing was left open.
The Chinese battery manufacturer Catl is also working on the technology and announced in the spring that its sodium-ion batteries would be used in models of the Chinese car manufacturer Chery.
The energy density has been relatively low so far
Energy density indicates how long a device can be used before it needs to be charged. With a high energy density, a large amount of energy can be stored in the battery. According to previous experts, a commercially available, mass-produced lithium-ion battery cell achieves an energy density of about 280 to 300 watt-hours per kilogram. There are now also battery cells with much higher values. Sodium ion batteries enable significant cost savings, but previously had lower energy density.
Available worldwide
Sodium is available worldwide as a component of seawater and rock salt and is considerably cheaper than lithium. The low production costs and safety at high temperatures make the technology particularly attractive for emerging markets such as India, the Middle East and Africa, Northvolt emphasizes. Later generations of its sodium-ion batteries would also have potential for electric vehicles.
“The world has great expectations for sodium ions, and I am very pleased to say that we have developed a technology that enables their widespread use,” said company CEO and founder Peter Carlsson.
Source: Krone
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