US Gets First Sodium-Ion Battery Factory

Click here to get more.

Sign up for

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on . Or follow us on Google News

Lithium-ion batteries have been the workhorses of the renewable energy transition since the early s, but the world is changing and so is energy storage. Researchers have been eyeballing a new sodium-ion battery formula that provides for a high level of performance while avoiding the supply chain issues that can bedevil conventional Li-ion batteries, and now all that hard work is beginning to pay off.

Here Comes The New Sodium-Ion Battery From Natron

In the latest sodium-ion battery news, on April 29, the US startup Natron Energy staked out its claim to the first commercial-scale production of a sodium-ion battery in the US when it hit the start button on its factory in Holland, Michigan.

Somewhat ironically, the new factory is a repurposed former lithium-ion battery plant. Natron expects the makeover to produce 600 megawatts worth of the new sodium-ion battery per year.

Electric vehicle fans, put away your pom-poms for now. Initially, the new factory will tap into the explosively growing energy storage needs of data centers. In particular, Natron anticipates that the equally explosive growth of AI technology will fuel more demand for energy storage and 24/7 power at data centers in the US.

The 600 megawatts is just for starters. Natron also anticipates that the Holland factory will provide a model for future gigawatt-scale factories to follow, with an eye on additional markets, including off-road industrial vehicles and EV fast charging stations, as well as the telecom field.

Many Helping Hands For The New Sodium-Ion Battery

If you&#;re looking forward to a sodium-ion battery for your next electric vehicle, you may have to wait a while. In the meantime, Natron&#;s technology fits the bill for large-scale energy storage. CleanTechnica first caught wind of the data center angle in July of , when the company announced a new round of $35 million in funding from ABB Technology Ventures, NanoDimension Capital, and Volta Energy Technologies.

&#;The new investors join Chevron, Khosla Ventures, and Prelude on the Natron roster, so it looks like things are cooking,&#; we noted.

&#;Natron plans to expand its reach in a wide range of scale, from edge and distributed computing to massive data centers and telecom infrastructure,&#; we also noted.

The US Department of Energy can also give itself a pat on the back for the new sodium-ion battery factory. In September of , the company received a $19.9 million award from the Energy Department&#;s ARPA-E office for funding high-risk, high-reward projects, with the goal of shepherding the new factory into being.

&#;The project aims to scale up production of Natron Energy&#;s (Natron) Prussian blue electrode sodium-ion batteries by 30x to 18,000 trays per year, and fully de-risk the resulting supply chain and products through continuous production and sales for six months,&#; ARPA-E explained. The office also noted that the company&#;s 8-kilowatt, 50-volt battery tray is primarily designed to manage peak loads at data centers and provide emergency backup power, but emerging markets like EV fast charging stations and grid-scale storage are also targeted.

&#;Natron&#;s tray provides data center operators up to 2x higher power density and 10x longer cycle life than existing products, along with superior safety performance,&#; ARPA-E adds.

Making Sodium-Ion Batteries Better

The 19th century writer and geology enthusiast Jules Verne famously cooked up a sodium battery to power Captain Nemo&#;s submarine in his novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It&#;s taken a while, but sodium is finally having a moment.

The sustainability factor behind the silvery-white metallic element sodium (chemical symbol Na from the Latin natrium) has been driving the interest in sodium-ion batteries. However, there being no such thing as a free lunch, the battery of the future has been elusive until recent years.

Sodium is far more abundant than lithium, but it is also much heavier. In terms of energy storage for electric vehicles, lithium beats sodium on driving range.

On the other hand, the &#;chemical kinship&#; between sodium and lithium provides a helping hand for battery research. &#;Sodium is just below lithium in the periodic table of the elements, meaning their chemical behaviors are very similar,&#; Physics Magazine helpfully explained just last week.

&#;That chemical kinship allows sodium-ion batteries to &#;ride the coattails&#; of lithium-ion batteries in terms of design and fabrication techniques,&#; they added.

Longtime energy storage researcher Jean-Marie Tarascon of the College of France was even more forthcoming. &#;Sodium-ion technology is really a clone of lithium-ion technology,&#; he told Physics Magazine.

Aside from weight, another challenge has been longevity. The Energy Department&#;s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory explained the problem back in , describing a weak link as the protective film on the anode of a sodium-ion battery, which degrades over time. &#;This film is critical because it allows sodium ions to pass through while preserving battery life,&#; the lab explained.

Lithium-ion batteries also degrade, but a typical sodium-ion battery degrades much faster. Developing an electrolyte formula that stabilizes the film has been a moving target. Natron launched in with a mission to hit that target, and apparently they have succeeded after a little more than a decade.

The Electric Vehicle Angle

The relatively low cost of sodium-ion batteries also opens up the opportunity for rapid deployment in community electric vehicles, second cars, and other short-range applications that don&#;t necessarily require an expensive, long-range, fast-charging battery.

Beyond that, other battery innovators are working towards replacing lithium-ion technology with sodium-ion in highway-worthy EVs. The Swedish startup Northvolt is among those first out of the gate, and more activity in the EV area is stirring.

Here in the US, the Energy Department has been lending an assist to sodium-based energy storage innovators. Last October, for example, ARPA-E awarded $3,198,085 to the Massachusetts firm 24M Technologies to develop a new sodium-ion battery specifically for EVs.

&#;24M&#;s cell design will incorporate (1) its ultra-thick SemiSolid cathode made up of advanced cobalt-free, nickel-free sodium cathode active material, (2) an advanced wide-temperature, fast-charging electrolyte developed using machine learning and automated high-throughput screening technology, and (3) a sodium super ionic conductor,&#; ARPA-E explained.

On the research side, the Energy Department&#;s Argonne National Laboratory has been building on its experience with lithium-ion batteries to develop new solutions for a roadworthy sodium-ion battery.

A research team at Argonne developed the lithium nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode material for EV batteries, which General Motors deployed in its Chevy Volt and Bolt cars. Commercial interest in NMC battery technology is still ongoing, but Argonne has moved on to explore new territory.

The key to the NMC architecture was to arrange the atoms in layers, enabling the lithium to flow more efficiently. Argonne has been replicating the strategy for its new sodium battery research. The result is a layered sodium nickel-manganese-iron oxide formula that allows for the efficient insertion and extraction of sodium. &#;The absence of cobalt in the cathode formula mitigates cost, scarcity and toxicity concerns associated with that element,&#; the lab notes.

Among other automakers, keep an eye on Stellantis. Earlier this year, the company let word drop that it has invested in the French sodium-ion energy storage innovator Tiamat.

Follow me @tinamcasey on Bluesky, Threads, Instagramt, and LinkedIn.

Photo (cropped): New sodium-ion battery from Natron provides for energy storage without conflict minerals. (courtesy of Natron via businesswire.com)

Share this story!

• LinkedIn

• Facebook

• X

• Mastodon

• Reddit

 

 

Industrial development drives battery companies to deploy sodium-ion batteries

When various car companies and battery manufacturers are anxious because of the rising prices of upstream raw materials and the inability to grab lithium mines, more and more companies have begun to deploy sodium-ion batteries. A considerable number of companies that deploy sodium-ion battery business have conducted financing activities around . Many of them belong to the world's Top10 sodium-ion battery companies, and many sodium-ion battery entrepreneurial projects have begun to be valued by the market in . 

Currently, there are many companies in China deploying sodium-ion batteries, but they can be divided into two categories. One is start-up companies, and the other is established suppliers who have been engaged in the production of lithium-ion batteries and upstream raw materials for a long time, such as HiNa BATTERY, CATL(ranked first among Top 10 lithium battery companies) and other companies are about to mass-produce sodium-ion batteries. 

 

In addition to China, companies from all over the world, especially European and American companies, are also actively deploying sodium-ion batteries. The more well-known ones include Faradion (UK), Tiamat (Europe), Natron Energy, Aquion Energy (US), etc. Japan's Panasonic and Mitsubishi also have related actions but the progress is relatively slow.

This article aims to give you a detailed introduction to the specific situation of the Top10 sodium-ion battery companies mentioned above, including their development history, core business and industrial layout, to help you have a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the latest developments in the sodium ion industry and the relevant layout of industry leaders in this field.

Top10 sodium-ion battery companies in the world in

&#; CATL

Established date

December 16,

Global headquarters

Fujian, China

Total market value

.844 billion RMB

Company website

https://www.catl.com/

Company profile:

CATL, ranked first among the Top 10 sodium-ion battery companies in the world, is a world-leading new energy innovation technology company, focusing on the R&D, production and sales of new energy vehicle power battery systems and energy storage systems. Its core technologies include R&D and manufacturing capabilities of the entire industry chain in the fields of power and energy storage batteries, materials, cells, battery systems, battery recycling and secondary utilization. The ternary lithium battery is the biggest feature of the CATL, and the battery life is higher.

Leading products and technologies:

Power and energy storage batteries, materials, cells, battery systems, battery recycling and secondary utilization; CTP technology, CTC technology and high nickel technology and other cutting-edge technologies.

Related layout:

CATL released the first-generation sodium-ion battery in July , and obtained a patent for sodium-ion batteries including positive pole pieces, negative pole pieces, separators and electrolytes in August of the same year. Its energy density of 160Wh/kg is known as the highest in the world.

 

&#; FARADION

Founded time

Global headquarters

Yorkshire, UK

Company website

https://faradion.co.uk/

Company profile:

Faradion, one of the Top 10 sodium-ion battery companies, aims to develop sodium-ion technology and bring it to market. Faradion was the first company of the new Millennium to identify and exploit the potential of sodium ions in a rechargeable battery.  With more patents in this area than competing Na-ion companies, Faradion can cement it&#;s position as market leader of non-aqueous sodium-ion batteries.

Main applications and products:

Stationary energy storage - na-ion batteries; Transport applications - sodium-ion cells

Related layout:

On March 10, , battery manufacturers AMTE Power and Faradion announced a collaboration to combine Faradion&#;s intellectual property with AMTE Power&#;s design and manufacturing capabilities. This collaboration enables sodium-ion battery technology to be incorporated into a range of renewable energy applications, including home energy storage, commercial microgrids, wind turbines and tidal energy storage;
On 10 July , AceOn has been awarded a £1 million grant from the UK Innovation Programme to accelerate the development of its mobile solar storage unit, AceOn's newly designed product will use Faradion's sodium-ion battery, which is Faradion's technology first commercial use in sub-Saharan Africa; At the end of , Faradion was acquired by Reliance Industries of India.

 

&#; Natron Energy

Founded time

International headquarters

California, US

Company website

http://www.natron.energy

Company profile:

As one of the global Top10 sodium-ion battery companies, Natron Energy is the world's leading developer and supplier of high power, long life, and low cost Prussian Blue Sodium Ion battery solutions for critical power and industrial applications, including data center UPS systems and electrically-powered materials handling equipment. In , Natron became the world&#;s first Sodium Ion battery to achieve UL listing for its battery product, and commercial shipments to customers in the data center, forklift, and EV fast charging markets began.

Main product and technology:

Sodium-ion battery packs - BlueTray ; Natron's Prussian Blue Sodium-ion technology.

Recent news and related layout:

In May , Natron Energy and Clarios International announced a strategic agreement to collaborate on the production of large-scale sodium-ion batteries. Natron Energy has been developing sodium-ion batteries for a long time, probably more than 10 years.

 

&#; HiNa BATTERY

Established date

February 8,

Company location

Beijing, China

Register capital

30. million RMB

Company website

https://www.hinabattery.com

Company profile:

Link to Xiaolu

Among the Top10 sodium-ion battery companies, HiNa BATTERY is a company specializing in the R&D and production of a new generation of energy storage systems - sodium-ion batteries. It has a number of core patents for sodium-ion batteries, and is one of the few battery companies in the world that has core patents and technologies for sodium-ion batteries. HiNa BATTERY focuses on low-cost, long-life, high-safety, high-energy-density sodium-ion battery products, with potential applications covering various types of electric bicycles, low-speed electric vehicles, communication base stations, data centers, home energy storage, and large-scale energy storage. Meanwhile, HiNa BATTERY can supply anode and cathode materials and electrolytes for sodium ion batteries.

Main products:

Energy storage system sodium ion battery.

Related layout:

At present, HiNa BATTERY controls the production of positive electrode, negative electrode, electrolyte, battery pack, etc., or conducts independent research and development, or establishes a joint venture with other companies and governments. HUA YANG GROUP has also cooperated with HiNa BATTERY and other companies to build cathode and anode material production lines and sodium-ion battery cell production lines. The cell production line started construction in Yangquan City at the beginning of this year, but these production lines have not yet been put into production or mass production.

In terms of production lines, HiNa BATTERY has also received support from the Three Gorges Group and the local government. At the end of , Three Gorges Energy announced that Three Gorges Renewables and Three Gorges Capital, HiNa BATTERY and the Fuyang Municipal Government of Anhui Province signed a cooperation agreement on a sodium-ion battery production line, and will jointly build a large-scale production line for sodium-ion batteries.

 

&#; RONBAY TECHNOLOGY

Established date

September 18,

International headquarters

Zhejiang, China

Total market value

63.129 billion RMB

Company website

http://www.ronbaymat.com/

Company profile:

RONBAY TECHNOLOGY specializes in the R&D, production and sales of cathode materials for lithium batteries. The company has established long-term cooperative relationships with customers such as CATL, BYD, LG Chem, Tianjin Lishen, Funeng Technology, etc. Cutting-edge high energy density products, supporting the provision of ternary cathode materials with stable product performance and mature preparation technology. RONBAY TECHNOLOGY is the first cathode material manufacturer in China to realize mass production of NCM811. In addition to being the world's leading manufacturer of power battery cathode materials, RONBAY TECHNOLOGY also belongs to Top10 sodium-ion battery companies.

Main products:

NCM523, NCM622 and NCM811.

NCM523, NCM622 and NCM811.

Latest layout:

RONBAY TECHNOLOGY is in the process of technical research and development and production line construction of ferromanganese Prussian white and layered oxide cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. The relevant information shows that it can achieve ton-level output in .

 

&#; ZOOLNASH

Established date

January 21,

Global headquarter

Jiangsu, China

Register capital

13. million RMB

Company website

http://www.zoolnasm.com/

Company profile:

ZOOLNASH is an emerging sodium-ion battery company. The company has carried out in-depth research on the electrochemical system, structure and system development of low-cost, long-cycle sodium-ion batteries with an original technical route. ZOOLNASH ranks at the forefront of Top10 sodium-ion battery companies in the transformation of sodium-ion battery research results with its excellent R&D capabilities.

Leading solutions:

New energy storage - electric energy storage, communication energy storage, home energy storage and portable energy storage; light power - electric two-wheeled vehicles, electric tricycles, electric mopeds and electric scooters; engineering power - forklifts, heavy trucks and aerial work platform vehicles; Passenger cars - Passenger cars and golf carts.

Related layout:

ZOOLNASH's product is a sodium iron sulfate battery, and its patented method for preparing high-performance cathode materials is said to have reached strategic cooperation with a number of downstream customers, and the first generation of products will be delivered within this year.

 

&#; NATRIUM

Established date

May 8,

Company location

Zhejiang, China

Register capital

14.117 million RMB

Company website

http://natriumenergy.cn/

Company profile:

NATRIUM focuses on technological innovation and engineering of sodium-ion batteries, and is guided by market demand to develop, produce and sell a new generation of power and energy storage battery systems for smart grid energy storage, electric vehicles, distributed energy storage, and chemical power sources for special purposes, providing green and sustainable energy solutions.

Main applications and products:

Na-ion battery precursors and cathode materials, electrolytes for Na-ion batteries, Na-ion batteries and Na-ion battery application system products.

Related layout:

NATRIUM's main business focuses on the R&D and production of cathode materials and electrolytes for sodium-ion batteries. NATRIUM plans to put 3,000 tons of cathode materials and 5,000 tons of electrolyte into production this year, and build 80,000 tons of cathode materials and supporting electrolyte production lines in phases in the next 3-5 years. NATRIUM's cathode material pilot line is currently running 24 hours a day. Downstream customers include Honeycomb Energy, etc. The cathode material is likely to be supplied to multiple companies for product and technical verification.

 

&#; KISHIDA CHEMICAL

Established date

January 1,

Company location

Osaka, Japan

Register capital

50 million USD

Company website

http://www.kishida.co.jp/

Company profile:

KISHIDA CHEMICAL is a chemicals company based out of Japan, the company's line of business includes the manufacturing of chemical preparations.

Main applications and products:

Research chemicals, fine chemicals, chemical reagent for analysis, chemical reagent for life sciences, building blocks, ionic liquid, organic micro-analytical reagents, lithium ion battery grade, electric double layer capacitor grade, magnesium ion battery grade.

 

&#; Panasonic

Established time

March 13,

Global headquarters

Osaka, Japan

Total market value

18.850 billion USD

Company website

https://www.na.panasonic.com/

Company profile:

Panasonic is a large Japanese multinational conglomerate that became the world's largest consumer electronics manufacturer in the late 20th century, developing, producing, selling and servicing a range of electrical and electronic products. Panasonic offers a wide range of products and services, including rechargeable batteries, automotive and avionics systems, industrial systems, and home improvement and construction. Its products are used in consumer electronics, housing, B2B and automotive. Panasonic, one of the pioneers in automotive lithium-ion batteries and currently one of the top three electric vehicle battery makers, is entering a new phase in its automotive battery business.

Main products and services:

Rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries including lithium ion, nickel metal hydride, lead acid, coin, nickel cadmium, lithium and alkaline technologies. Additionally, it offers amorphous silicon solar cells and consumer batteries.

Recent layout:

In June , Panasonic officially revealed that it has begun to deliver samples of the new cylindrical lithium battery cells to Tesla, and has begun preparations for mass production. Panasonic has already started small-scale trial production of battery cells in May this year, and will enter mass production operations on April 1, , when it will be able to supply Tesla's expected annual capacity of 10GWh.

 

&#; MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL

 

Founded time

Global headquarter

Tokyo, Japan

Total market value

44.914 billion USD

Company website

https://www.m-chemical.co.jp/

Company profile:

MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL GROUP is an integrated company among the Top10 sodium-ion battery companies, offering its wide range of products through its three main divisions: functional materials and plastic products (including information and electronics, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals); petrochemicals; carbon and agricultural products.

Main products:

Functional materials and plastic products (including information and electronics, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals); petrochemicals; carbon and agricultural products.

Related layout:

MITSUBISHI CHEMICAL is vigorously promoting the industrialization of sodium-ion batteries - a high energy density energy storage technology similar to all solid state battery.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Sodium-Ion Battery Cells.