Published on 25th May 2023
A sodium-ion battery (also known as a “Na-ion battery,” “NIB,” and “SIB”) is a rechargeable battery using sodium ions (Na+) as its charge carriers. Sodium-ion batteries have gained a lot of attention in recent years.
Here are the main benefits of sodium-ion batteries:
As existing lithium reserves are not enough to meet projected levels of demand for the EV market and other sectors, the development of other battery chemistries is gaining momentum.
Unlike the limited availability and uneven distribution of lithium resources, the raw material resources for sodium-ion batteries are abundant and widely distributed across the world.
In addition, high prices of lithium and other battery materials have accelerated the development of the sodium-ion battery as a cheaper and more accessible alternative to the lithium-ion battery (also known as a “Li-ion battery” and “LIB”).
Several cell manufacturers are keen on establishing a Na-ion supply chain for the mass production of Na-ion cells—production capacity could scale up quickly as Na-ion manufacturing uses existing Li-ion manufacturing infrastructure.
Sodium battery companies have specialized teams to conduct extensive research on the anode and cathode materials of sodium-ion batteries and develop sodium-ion technology for a wide range of applications.
Read on to learn more about the major sodium-ion battery makers in the world.
Table of Contents
Global Top 5 Sodium-ion Battery Manufacturers [2023]
CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.)
Faradion
HiNa Battery Technology Co., Ltd.
Natron Energy, Inc.
TIAMAT SAS
Blackridge Research & Consulting – Global Sodium-ion Battery Market Report
Wrapping Up
Here are the world’s leading sodium-ion battery manufacturers (listed alphabetically):
Founded: 2011
Location: Ningde, Fujian Province, China
CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.) is one of the world’s largest suppliers of batteries for electric vehicles (EV batteries), with wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.S., as well as main R&D centers in Liyang, Munich, Ningde, and Shanghai.
China’s lithium-ion battery giant was formed as a spin-off of Amperex Technology Limited (ATL)—a lithium polymer battery manufacturer founded by Robin Zeng in 1999.
Over the years, CATL formed strategic partnerships with industry-leading automobile manufacturers, such as Dongfeng Motor, FAW Group, GAC Group, Geely Auto Group, and SAIC Motor to achieve the following objectives, among others:
CATL focuses on providing increasingly cost-effective, efficient, and safe products and services to customers while ensuring a stable supply of high-performance components for the next generation of electrified vehicles.
CATL’s solution portfolio comprises battery recycling, commercial applications, energy storage systems, and passenger vehicles.
In 2021, CATL launched its first-generation sodium-ion battery stated to have “the highest energy density in the world.” CATL’s sodium-ion battery provides significant advantages, such as:
Apart from the sodium-ion battery, CATL launched its AB battery pack solution—a beautiful integration of sodium-ion cells and lithium-ion cells in a single pack. CATL developed a hard carbon material with a unique porous structure to boost cycle performance.
Along with local partners in Europe, CATL is also working on battery recycling and cathode active materials to boost CATL’s localization and develop a sustainable battery chain.
According to an industry news source, CATL’s first sodium-ion battery will power Chery (one of the largest automobile manufacturers in China) EV models—introducing the award-winning technology breaking the bottleneck of limited raw materials and providing a cost-effective solution for sodium-ion-powered EVs.
Founded: 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Founded by Dr. Jerry Barker, Ashwin Kumaraswamy, and Dr. Chris Wright, Faradion Limited (Faradion) is known as “the world’s first sodium-ion battery company to commercialize the Na-ion technology.”
The leading battery technology company specializes in non-aqueous sodium-ion cell technology that provides cheaper and cleaner energy. Faradion also holds impressive patents related to sodium-ion batteries with a comprehensive and wide-reaching IP portfolio.
Faradion provides efficient and cost-effective Na-ion battery solutions for various applications—from backup power and low-cost electric transport to residential and industrial storage.
Faradion’s sodium-ion cells offer much greater carrying capacity and range than lead-acid batteries for low-cost electric transport, including e-scooters and LSEVs.
For example, the Na-ion battery has higher energy density than a lead-acid battery and improved performance over a wide temperature range. Therefore, it works well as the SLI (Starter-Lighting-Ignition) 12 V battery or the 48 V battery in an MHEV (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle).
Faradion launched its e-bike battery demonstrator as “the world’s first sodium-ion battery-powered vehicle” in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering and Oxford University.
Furthermore, Faradion has worked with partners on the Innovate UK-funded project “Low Cost Storage of Renewable Energy” to demonstrate the use of sodium-ion batteries for solar energy storage.
According to a press release, Reliance New Energy Solar Ltd. (RNESL)—a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)—signed an agreement to acquire Faradion and leverage Faradion’s battery technology expertise as part of the Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Complex project at Jamnagar, Gujarat, India.
Founded: 2017
Location: Liyang, Jiangsu, China
HiNa Battery Technology Co., Ltd. (HiNa BATTERY) is a well-established battery manufacturer of high-energy density, long-life, and low-cost sodium-ion batteries. The company specializes in developing cutting-edge sodium-ion battery technology for electric vehicles and industrial energy storage.
HiNa BATTERY continues to invest in the R&D of environmentally friendly and high-performance sodium-ion battery technology—from launching its first sodium-ion battery in 2017 to starting its first GWh-scale sodium-ion battery production line in 2022.
HiNa BATTERY has successfully developed the following sodium-ion soft pack and cylindrical batteries:
Here are the key features and applications of HiNa BATTERY’s Na-ion batteries:
Key features
|
Working voltage |
Working temperature |
Cycle life |
Gravimetric specific energy density |
Rate performance |
Storage performance |
Safety performance |
|
3.2 V |
−40℃ ~ 80℃ |
≥ 4500 cycles @ 83% (2C/2C) |
≥ 145Wh/kg |
Capacity at 5C ≥ 90% of 1C rate capacity |
100% SOC at room temperature for 28 days Capacity retention ≥ 94% Capacity recovery ≥ 99% |
Batteries meet the national standard GB/T31845-2015 |
Applications
According to an industry news source, HiNa BATTERY has unveiled three sodium-ion battery cells and announced a partnership with the Chinese automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (also known as “JAC Motors” and “JAC”) to test sodium-ion batteries in EVs, such as electric cars.
JAC has produced the “Sehol E10X” test vehicle with an energy density of 120 Wh/kg, a battery pack energy capacity of 25 kWh, and a range of roughly 252 km (fast charging time of 15-20 minutes).
HiNa Battery states that the sodium-ion battery used in E10X has high power and long life cycles and can function under a wide range of temperatures. By choosing a model like the Sehol E10X, the partnership marks the application of sodium-ion batteries in the NEV market.
Founded: 2012
Location: Santa Clara, California, United States
Founded by Colin Wessells at a garage in Palo Alto, California, Natron Energy (Natron) has grown into a globally leading developer and supplier of high-power, ultra-safe batteries.
Natron provides stand-alone batteries or complete integrated solutions and helps transform the way battery energy is used for critical applications and processes.
With a state-of-the-art pilot production line for sodium-ion batteries in Santa Clara, California, Natron focuses on delivering commercial sodium-ion battery products at a massive scale.
Natron has been pushing the boundaries of traditional battery technology with innovative sodium-ion batteries, which provide impressive benefits, such as:
Natron’s Prussian Blue sodium-ion technology is built for better performance with better battery chemistry.
Natron states that the company has introduced “the industry’s first UL-listed sodium-ion battery” based on patented Prussian blue electrodes. These electrodes enable full discharge and recharge in minutes and thousands of deep discharge cycles from a non-flammable, fault-tolerant system.
Natron Blue Pack™ Critical Power Battery
The Natron Blue Pack battery is a safer alternative to a lithium-ion battery, sourced ethically, and provides between 50,000 & 100,000 discharge cycles depending on the application.
In addition, the non-flammable Natron Blue Pack battery operates at extremely wide temperature ranges and is designed for several applications, such as:
Founded: 2017
Location: Amiens, Hauts-de-France
Commonly known as “TIAMAT” (Tiamat) and “Tiamat Energy,” TIAMAT SAS is a new-generation battery manufacturer that traces its origins to the sodium-ion research task force (CEA, CNRS, and Collège de France). Founded by Laurent Hubard, the company designs, develops, and manufactures sodium-ion battery cells for mobility and stationary energy storage.
The Na-ion technology used in Tiamat 18650 cells is based on years of academic research on electrochemical storage. Tiamat also aims to qualify its prototypes in collaboration with several end users and industrial partners and develop its technology further.
Here are the key features of Tiamat’s Na-ion batteries:
Tiamat batteries are particularly well-suited for consumer electronic goods (power tools), hybrid vehicles, and stationary storage power applications (such as frequency regulation and UPS).
Tiamat continues to play a key role in industrializing Na-ion battery technology.
According to an industry news source, Tiamat signed a Strategic Cooperation framework agreement with its partner Zenergy during the inauguration day of Zenergy’s 25 GWh new battery manufacturing plant in Changhsu, Jiangsu, China.
The agreement covers early volumes subcontracting, market development, and technology development—it is instrumental in combining Tiamat’s product development expertise with Zenergy’s competence and know-how to improve product quality and performance.
Despite the dominance of Li-ion batteries in the rechargeable battery industry, sodium-ion batteries hold immense potential in terms of greater safety, longer lifetime, and better performance in a wide operational temperature range.
Here are some of the key factors driving the rapid growth of the global market for sodium-ion batteries:
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The relative abundance and low cost of sodium make it a popular choice for a diverse range of applications—from data centers and electric vehicles to mobile charging piles and large-scale energy storage systems.
For instance, NGK Insulators, Ltd. developed the NAS battery (sodium-sulfur battery) for power grid applications. The NAS battery is a megawatt-level energy storage system that uses sulfur for the positive electrode and sodium for the negative electrode.
Sodium-ion batteries have been used mostly in energy storage applications and two- and three-wheeler vehicles (such as electric scooters). However, recent technology developments are positioning sodium-ion batteries as an efficient and low-cost alternative to lithium-ion chemistries (such as LFP batteries).
A study has shown that a sodium-ion battery scores well over a lithium-ion battery and a solid-state battery in terms of price, safety, and sustainability. Except for energy density and charging time, sodium-ion batteries have stood out as the most efficient and sustainable batteries for electric mobility.
While matching the range of Li-ion counterparts poses a challenge for Na-ion-based EVs, Na-ion-based technology is getting better at catering to the global EV battery energy consumption.
As the battery industry looks for a safe and sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion battery manufacturers are revolutionizing the battery industry landscape with cost-competitive, eco-friendly, energy-efficient, and versatile sodium-ion batteries.
