Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt announced its new sodium ion batteries. The batteries were developed for use in the company’s next-generation energy storage solutions and affordable automobiles.Battery cells developed in the company’s laboratories in Sweden have an energy density of 160 Wh/kg. This energy density is similar to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which are frequently used in stationary battery systems today.
Stating that they will be better in terms of cost than LFP batteries in the long run, the company sees sodium ion batteries as an important component of their product portfolio. The company does not give much detail about its batteries, but says that the cells they have developed are durable and long-lasting.
Sodium ion batteries were first announced by CATL
In 2021, Chinese battery giant CATL announced that it would commercially launch sodium ion batteries for the first time. Northvolt’s batteries also have similar energy density to CATL. Carbon anode and Prussa White cathode are used in the battery cells, just like CATL’s batteries. Sodium ion batteries developed by CATL will be used first in Chery’s automobiles.
The company received orders worth $55 billion
After the Swedish startup was founded in 2016, it received major investments from companies such as Volkswagen, Blackrock and Goldman Sachs. In 2021, Northvolt became the first European battery company to fully design, develop and manufacture battery cells. The company’s first large factory with a capacity of 16 GWh was built in northern Sweden. The company also plans to build three more battery factories in Germany, Canada and Sweden. To date, the company has received orders totaling $55 billion from BMW, Fluence, Scania, Volvo and Volkswagen. Northvolt develops lithium-ion batteries, mostly of the nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) type.Apart from these, Cuberg, a subsidiary of the company, is working on high-density lithium metal batteries in California. The energy density of the cells developed by the company has reached 405 Wh/kg. These batteries are being developed for use in the aviation industry.
Sodium ion batteries are cheaper and environmentally friendly
Sodium ion and lithium ion batteries have many similarities in terms of structure and operating principles. In fact, they often use the same production lines and equipment. Sodium ion batteries are a more environmentally friendly solution than lithium ion batteries in terms of the materials they use. Since it uses sodium, which is abundant in nature, production costs are lower. It is stated that the price can be up to 40% lower. However, to achieve this, it is necessary to increase the production scale.
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