A US Sodium-Ion Battery Maker Challenges Powerwall

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The sharp U-turn in federal energy policy is credited with pushing up the cost of electricity across the US. That helps explain why the energy storage business has been taking off like a rocket, as residential, commercial, and industrial ratepayers scramble for solutions. The timing is perfect for new sodium-ion batteries, which offer improvements in cost and safety while enabling electricity users to take full advantage of rooftop solar panels, low off-peak electricity rates, virtual power plants, or all three.

The Sodium-Ion Battery Solution

To date, lithium-ion energy storage has been the gold standard for on-site energy storage, with Tesla’s Powerwall among the industry leaders. Last fall the company celebrated the installation of it one millionth unit globally.

Still, there is always room for improvement. Tesla, for example, is facing a class action lawsuit over a recall issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission last November, covering thousands of Powerwall 2 batteries sold between 2020 and 2022. CPSC issued the recall after receiving almost two dozen reports of overheating, smoke, or fire. The lawsuit alleges that Tesla knew the units were defective and sold them anyway. The lawsuit further alleges that Tesla performed an inadequate, remote “recall” that rendered many of the units useless, instead of offering financial compensation.

Regardless of temporary shifts in White House policy, the US Department of Energy has long been on the prowl for alternative energy storage formulas that are free of such complications while also leading to lower costs and a more secure domestic supply chain. Sodium-ion batteries make the cut.

Back in November of 2024, the Energy Department launched a new consortium aimed at tweaking sodium-ion technology for grid-scale uses. Called SAGES for Sodium-ion Alliance for Grid Energy Storage, the effort focused on addressing shortcomings in the formula.

“Sodium is an abundant, widely available, and cost-effective element. Additionally, sodium-based batteries have high thermal stability, reducing the risk of overheating and fire, making them a practical option for widespread use,” explains the Energy Department’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (see lots more sodium background here).

“However, sodium-ion batteries have lower energy density and shorter lifespans compared to their lithium-ion counterparts — challenges the SAGES is seeking to overcome,” the lab adds.

More Sodium-Ion Batteries For The USA

SAGES launched as a four-year program, and in the meantime private sector efforts have also picked up steam. Although rising star Natron crashed and burned last year, Inlyte Energy, Unigrid, Alsym Energy, and Peak Energy are among the domestic startups to pick up the slack.

The North Carolina firm Syntropic Power has also added itself to the list. The company formerly known as Emtel Energy announced its new name on February 18 alongside the launch of three new sodium-ion batteries aimed at fulfilling the whole gamut of energy storage needs, listed in a press statement as:

“GridSurge™ for extreme-cycling, fast-response short-duration storage;

GridSpan™ for modular long-duration storage for 6+ hour resiliency;

and Tenet™ for residential and light commercial storage where safety is paramount.”

The press release is somewhat modest regarding Syntropic’s long duration storage product. On its website, the company states that its sodium-ion battery can support up to 2o hours of utility-scale storage, making it also suitable for commercial and industrial use.

Next Steps For Syntropic

The Syntropic website is rather light on content, so stay tuned while I reach out to the company for additional details about their plans for manufacturing or acquiring sodium-ion cells. Of particular interest is Syntropic’s home state of North Carolina, where Natron anticipated converting a former lithium-ion battery factory for sodium-ion production, only to run into insurmountable financial obstacles last Septermber.

Meanwhile, Syntropic is not letting the grass grow under its feet. The company states that it is ramping up capacity to accommodate 2 gigawatt-hours of projects this year, even as its sodium-ion battery cells are undergoing independent tests at the Battery Development Center, a branch of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York State.

“Testing is structured to reflect realistic stationary storage operating conditions and to validate repeatable, thermally stable, and safe electrical performance, producing bankable data in support of downstream supply, system integration, and scale-up decisions,” Syntropic explains.

If all goes according to plan, proof-of-concept pilot projects will begin sometime during the summer, followed by commercial deployment.

Sodium-Ion Batteries For Your EV, Too

In addition to stationary energy storage, sodium-ion batteries are beginning to seep into the electric vehicle field. China’s CATL was in the vanguard, initially introducing the new battery as a replacement for the conventional lead-acid batteries used in diesel trucks. Last May CATL also announced its ambition to position sodium-ion as a competitive alternative to LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) batteries in passenger cars. CATL made good on the promise earlier this month, when the Chinese automaker CHANGAN unveiled a new EV featuring CATL’s “salt battery.”

That’s…interesting. Here in the US, the Ford Motor Company has rolled back its near-term EV production plans, but the automaker continues to pitch a next-generation electric pickup truck that can compete against other EVs, and gasmobiles, on affordability. As of this writing the plan calls for LFP batteries. However, Ford has also been on the prowl for new battery formulas. Among other angles, keep an eye on Michigan State University, where researchers have been collaborating with Ford and other energy storage stakeholders on advanced battery formulas, including sodium-ion.

Ford better not let the grass grow under its feet. Back in 2021, General Motors announced the creation of the new Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center, aimed squarely at improving EV batteries. The initial plan focused on cutting the cost of the company’s next-generation Ultium batteries, while kickstarting new formulas including lithium-metal, silicon and solid-state.

The mission has expanded since then to include LMR (lithium manganese-rich) EV batteries. In the meantime, GM has been building another new research facility, the Ancker-Johnson Battery Cell Development Center, right next door to the Wallace site. The near-term task is to accelerate the development of LMR technology.

As for what comes next, last year rumors surfaced that GM is also looking into sodium-ion batteries. If you have the scoop on that, drop a note in the comment thread.

Photo: The US firm Syntropic has launched three new sodium-ion battery products into the energy storage marketplace, for residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale use (cropped, courtesy of Syntropic).