Sodium-Ion Battery Applications Grow - CleanTechnica

The article highlights the expanding applications of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) beyond electric vehicles and home energy storage, emphasizing their suitability for rugged and cold environments such as farms, industrial, and commercial settings. A notable collaboration between Komatsu Japan and Pret in Neijiang, China, aims to produce 1.5-ton forklifts powered by Pret’s sodium-ion batteries. Pret plans to invest approximately $112.3 million (CNY 800 million) to build a 6 GWh sodium-ion battery plant, with the first 2 GWh phase expected to be completed within six months. Sodium-ion batteries are particularly advantageous in cold storage and outdoor environments where lithium batteries underperform, and they are also being tested in heavy trucks, port equipment, uninterruptible power supplies, and various heavy machinery including agriculture, mining, and construction equipment. Cost reductions are anticipated as energy density improves and manufacturing scales up, with current mass production costs at 0.4–0.5 yuan/Wh