Natron, an American company, will start manufacturing next year the sodium ion batteries that have become the great alternative to lithium.
To reduce the effects of climate change, countries and companies are increasingly committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Achieving this purpose could accelerate the demand for new alternatives to those already present.
Cobalt is referred to as a new mineral targeted by large companies for the development of their electric vehicles.
Although, in this case we are talking about sodium ion batteries, which will replace lithium batteries, close to scarcity, since most of the global supply chain belongs to China and the known reserves of lithium are not enough. to meet anticipated levels of demand in the electric vehicle market and other sectors.
This alternative is not the first time it has been used, since the Chinese company CATL launched last year 2021, a sodium ion battery designed for the electric vehicle market, with more than half the density provided by the current ones. lithium batteries.
Natron, has directed a different purpose, developing a chemistry based on a very common production pigment in Japan such as Prussian blue.
The company claims its design offers a strong volumetric power density between that of lead-acid and lithium-ion, with super-fast charging in as little as eight minutes, and an enormous lifespan, 25 times that of competitors. lithium-ion. They are also said to be extremely thermally stable, making them safe to transport, implant and recycle without risk of fire.
Additionally, Natron has partnered with Clarios International to bring these sodium-ion batteries into mass production beginning in 2023 at the Clarios Meadowbrook facility in Michigan.
Currently, this facility is for lithium-ion batteries, ensuring that its sodium-ion technological innovation can be manufactured on the same equipment and will be the largest sodium-ion battery plant on the planet. reported The Tampa Herald, news agency.