The US Department of Energy is investing $50 million in research to advance sodium-ion battery technology. The grant will support the Low-cost Earth-abundant Na-ion Storage (LENS) consortium, led by Argonne National Laboratory.
The LENS consortium aims to increase the energy density of sodium-ion batteries, eventually surpassing that of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, while minimizing reliance on critical materials often sourced from China.
This initiative is driven by the abundance of sodium in the US and the desire to reduce dependence on expensive lithium batteries and Chinese supply chains. China's BYD recently announced a grid-scale sodium-ion battery with record energy density, spurring the US to accelerate its own research efforts.
Besides Argonne, the LENS consortium includes several national laboratories and universities, such as Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech chemistry professor Feng Lin expressed enthusiasm for the project:
"Our world is on the verge of a profound shift...With the combined expertise of the LENS consortium, we now have a unique opportunity to pioneer new battery technologies for electric vehicles..."
The research will focus on developing new electrode and electrolyte materials, ultimately leading to prototype sodium-ion cells and battery packs with improved life cycles and energy density for electric vehicles and other applications.
