A consortium co-ordinated by German battery manufacturer Varta AG has initiated a project to develop environmentally friendly and cost-effective sodium-ion batteries for use in electric vehicles and home storage systems.
The initiative, called ENTISE (Development of Sodium Ion Technology for Industrially Scalable Energy Storage), aims to achieve improved storage capacity via optimised materials, Varta said on Tuesday.
Researchers will also work on improving cycling stability, or the ability of the cells to ensure stable performance even after repeated charging and discharging. This could be possible through the development and use of new and optimised electrode materials and coatings.
In the final phase, the project will move from the laboratory to the pre-industrial area. The end product will be a small series of round cells that will be assessed in practical application scenarios such as electric vehicles and stationary storage systems. A technical-economic and ecological assessment completes the project.
In May, ENTISE received EUR 7.5 million (USD 8.4m) in funding from the Federal Ministry of Research and Education. The project is being carried out by a consortium of 15 working groups and 13 companies and universities.