America's first sodium-ion battery maker folds: can't get add'l backing, not getting enough sales

[thewayne]

Natron had been trying to raise $1.4b in funding to build a mega-factory in North Carolina that would have employed 1,000 people. It failed. Sales for its industrial sodium-ion batteries were not enough to keep the 13-year old company in the black, and an excellent tech company is no more.

Sodium-ion batteries have some great tech advantages over lithium-ion. Most importantly, they don't catch on fire as easily. They don't use lithium, so they're less expensive and don't consume a rare earth mineral. Sodium is much more readily available and cheaper to produce. They also don't use copper, a somewhat rare mineral, and using aluminum instead of copper makes for a much lighter battery.

However, sodium-ion has a lower energy density than lithium-ion, which makes it a bit less desirable than LIon. Whether this disadvantage can be overcome in time, we shall see.

I have no idea if this company's products were targeted for the EV market, or just for industrial use.

https://www.wral.com/story/battery-maker-natron-closes-shop-killing-plans-for-1-000-jobs-in-north-carolina/22144342/

https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/09/05/2126200/americas-first-sodium-ion-battery-manufacturer-ceases-operations

Comments

[kaishin108]

That's a shame, it sounds like a good alternative to lithium.

[warriorsavant]

Regarding the lower energy density. I've thought about that (as a general idea, not this battery or this manufacturer specifically). Yes, high energy density is important in portable uses (be they phones or cars), but much less important in non-portable ones. If I need a battery bank for my entire house, I can stash it under the basement. Doesn't matter too much if it is small, and matters even less if it is light-weight. Cheap always matters.

[disneydream06]

Safer vs less power? Eek...

Hugs, Jon

[silveradept]

I think some items would do just fine with sodium-ion batteries, comparatively, but also this is pretty bad for places that are trying to attract some additional industry.

Of course, the problems themselves are only exacerbated by people who intend to make so much profit that they will have no need for any more money after one year of operation.