Northvolt, the only European company that produces electric batteries on a large scale, said it has created a new “lower-cost and more sustainable” battery designed to store electricity without the use of lithium, nickel, graphite and cobalt, British daily The Daily reported. “Guardian.”
This innovation may mean the end of the 27 member states of the European Union’s dependence on the Asian giant, as they no longer need raw materials that do not exist or are not abundant in Europe. The device’s intensity is more than 160 watts per kilogram and is safe at high temperatures.
Although it was designed for use in power plants, the company intends to use it in electric cars as well in the future.
Northvolt Vice President Patrick Anderson explains that the use of sodium ion technology is nothing new, but this is “the first product ever to be manufactured completely free of critical raw materials.”
This prototype was produced in the Swedish city of Västerås, but those responsible for the innovative artifact have not yet decided where it will be mass-produced, considering that it will only be offered to customers in 2024, including several car brands.
In addition to the issue of dependence on Asian countries, the new device can help in the process of decarbonization, because energy storage on an industrial scale is considered by experts to be an essential element in this process.
The company’s president highlighted, in statements to The Guardian, that although the density of the battery without lithium is less than that using this material, his organization will work to increase the device’s capacity.
In 2021, the same company produced the first lithium-ion battery cell.
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