Clarios has partnered with Swedish sodium-ion battery company Altris to develop low-voltage sodium-ion batteries for the automotive industry.
The companies said in a statement that automotive manufacturers continue to explore multi-battery solutions that include lithium-ion, absorbent glass mat (AGM) lead-acid batteries and other chemistries.
US-based Clarios said its chemistry-agnostic and circular approach has become of strategic importance.
Sodium-ion batteries are inherently sustainable and easy to recycle, it said, as they are made from salt, wood, iron and air. The materials used to produce sodium-ion cells are abundant and available – free from conflict minerals and toxic elements, the companies said.
“The new joint collaboration programme aims to develop a sodium-ion battery with a potential of up to 60 volts to support automotive applications in both new vehicles and for aftermarket replacements, that also can complement a multi-battery low-voltage system configuration,” they added.
Altris, a specialist in sodium-ion cathode material and battery cell technology, will focus on the development of sodium-ion cells specifically adapted to the needs of the low-voltage automotive battery market. Björn Mårlid, CEO of Altris, said they are able to access every third vehicle driven globally.
Federico Morales Zimmermann, of Products and Engineering at Clarios, said his company brings extensive experience with low-voltage systems within the automotive sector and will play a leading role in defining and optimising the specifications for the sodium-ion cells.
Photo: Clarios battery-manufacturing facility
