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thewayneNatron 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
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
no subject
Date: 2025-09-07 12:13 am (UTC)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.