Swedish firm Northvolt says it has developed a new energy storage technology with no critical minerals including lithium which could minimise reliance on China:

  • a “breakthrough” sodium-ion battery
  • a lower cost, more sustainable battery designed to store electricity which does not use lithium, nickel, graphite and cobalt.
  • said its new battery, which has an energy density of more than 160 watt-hours per kilogram, has been designed for electricity storage plants but could in future be used in electric vehicles, such as two wheeled scooters.
  • “Using sodium-ion technology is not new but we think this is the first product ever completely free from critical raw materials. It is a fundamental breakthrough”

Info is at various sources, here's an ungated one for more.

xi china flag 22 November 2023