A group of US battery companies has launched a new coalition aimed at establishing sodium-ion batteries as a national priority, as interest grows in the chemistry for grid-scale energy storage applications.
The newly formed American Battery Leadership Coalition (ABLC) said it will advocate policies to support the commercialisation and deployment of sodium-ion batteries and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities.
Among the founding members are sodium-ion developers Peak Energy, Alsym Energy, Batri and Mana Battery, along with materials supplier Ingevity, separator manufacturer Microporous, manufacturing company Re:Build Manufacturing, sodium-ion gigafactory developer NAION and long-duration storage company ESS Tech.
Peak Energy occupies a particularly prominent position within the organization. The Denver-based company is serving as vice chair of the coalition through vice president Edward McGlone, while Alsym Energy chief operating officer Graeme Grant is chair.
Coalition launched days after the GM/Peak Energy announcement
The coalition’s launch comes shortly after General Motors announced a partnership with Peak Energy to develop sodium-ion batteries for stationary energy storage systems, targeting utilities, data centres and other large electricity users rather than electric vehicles. The move represented one of the strongest endorsements yet of sodium-ion technology by a major US manufacturer.
According to the ABLC, sodium-ion batteries offer the United States an opportunity to build a domestic supply chain based on abundant raw materials while reducing dependence on imported lithium, nickel and cobalt. The group said the chemistry is particularly well suited to applications such as stationary energy storage, commercial fleets, defence systems and data centre backup power.
The coalition is seeking support for demonstration projects, pilot manufacturing facilities and policies covering the entire supply chain, from active materials and hard-carbon anodes to cells, modules and complete battery systems.
The initiative reflects growing concern that China currently dominates sodium-ion manufacturing and could establish a similar lead to the one it already enjoys in lithium-ion batteries. The coalition argues that sodium-ion remains at an early enough stage of commercialisation for the US to build a competitive domestic industry.
