Stellantis Invests In Affordable Sodium-Ion Battery Technology

The conglomerate is certainly bullish about the potential of the sodium-ion battery technology to power future affordable EVs.

Stellantis Ventures announces fresh investment and tie-up with Tiamat for the development of sodium-ion battery technology. Tiamat is a French company that works in developing and commercializing this battery technology. These batteries are prominent for offering a lower cost per kWh. Additionally, as the name suggests, it uses abundantly-available sodium, replacing lithium and cobalt for production. This enables enhanced sustainability and material sovereignty.

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Stellantis Invests In Sodium-Ion Battery Technology

Sodium ranks as the sixth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Notably, its proximity to Lithium on the periodic table results in nearly analogous properties to Lithium. The abundant availability of Sodium translates to a considerably lower cost compared to Lithium. Currently, the predominant obstacle to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles lies in their cost, apart from challenges related to charging infrastructure.

Tiamat

The French firm recently received the honour as one of 11 top-performing technology start-ups with the Stellantis Venture Awards in 2023. In fact, it boasts the title of being the first company in the world to have recently commercialized a sodium-ion technology in the electrified product, as per the official press release by Stellantis.

Ned Curic, Stellantis Chief Engineering and Technology Officer said, “Exploring new options for more sustainable and affordable batteries that use widely available raw materials is a key part of our ambitions of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan that will see us reach carbon net zero by 2038”. He added, “Our customers are asking for emissions-free vehicles that offer a combination of robust driving range, performance and affordability. This is our North Star, as Stellantis and its partners work today to develop ground-breaking technologies for the future.”

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Learn Electric Cars Says

We have already reported the pros and cons of Sodium-ion batteries in one of our previous posts. It is definitely among one of the most compelling methods to reduce dependence on materials like Cobalt (its mining has ethical and humane challenges in Congo) and Nickel. Furthermore, there will never be a shortage of Sodium. Sure, a lot of work is required to make it energy-dense to be used in cars without compromising on performance. But with the passage of time and new investments, these obstacles can be overcome. Let us keep a close eye on further developments in this space.