Sodium-ion to challenge Lithium ion battery market

Lithium-ion batteries get most of the attention when it comes to emerging technologies in the electric vehicle revolution. However, Sodium-ion batteries are set to bring in a new dimension.

While several companies and research institutions are working on technologies, Indi Energy, headquartered in TIDES Business Incubator, IIT Roorkee, has come out with Sodium-ion battery which would use stubble as the source material.

"As far as the cost is concerned, the Sodium-ion batteries would cost almost half the price of Lithium-ion batteries. Plus, the raw material is abundant," people involved in the project told DH.

It's a breakthrough sustainable energy solution based primarily on bio-waste found in the country along with sodium salt precursors. It is expected that it will dramatically reduce the need for imports and dependency on lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which are used in lithium-ion batteries.

Indi Energy CEO and Co-founder Akash Soni said: ”Indi Energy is on a mission to develop low-cost, safe and high-performance Sodium-ion batteries made from locally available abundant bio-waste and sodium salt precursors, thereby reducing India’s heavy reliance on scarce elements such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel that are critical elements in making Li-ion batteries. Indi Energy’s novel and proprietary technology would also enable indigenous manufacturing of high-performance battery cells in India without depending on foreign imports for critical raw materials that goes into battery cell production."

Indi Energy's Co-founder and Head of Research & Development, Prof Yogesh Sharma said: "To make India self-sufficient in the energy storage sector, Indi Energy aims to create a local supply chain for the components required for the production of Sodium-ion batteries.”

A pilot project for the innovation has been initiated and the people involved in the project feel that they will reach the commercialisation stage soon.