Swedish battery maker Northvolt has developed its first sodium-ion battery, a technology that could cut reliance on scarce raw materials like cobalt and lay the foundation for the company’s next generation of electric-car batteries.

The battery cell has a “best-in-class” energy density of more than 160 watt-hours per kilogram, and was made without any lithium, nickel, cobalt or graphite, the company said.

Northvolt’s validated cell is more safe, cost-effective, and sustainable than conventional nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC) or iron phosphate (LFP) chemistries and is produced with minerals such as iron and sodium that are abundant on global markets. It is based on a hard carbon anode and a Prussian White-based cathode, and is free from lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite. Leveraging a breakthrough in battery design and manufacturing, Northvolt plans to be the first to industrialize Prussian White-based batteries and bring them to commercial markets.

Peter Carlsson, CEO and Co-Founder of Northvolt, comments: “We have developed a technology that will enable its widespread deployment to accelerate the energy transition. It’s an important milestone for Northvolt’s market proposition, but battery technology like this is also crucial to reach global sustainability goals, by making electrification more cost-efficient, sustainable and accessible worldwide.”

The sodium-ion technology, which has been developed together with research partner Altris, is intended to provide the foundation for Northvolt’s next-generation energy storage solutions. The low cost and safety at high temperatures make the technology especially attractive for energy storage solutions in upcoming markets including India, the Middle East and Africa.

Additionally, the technology can be produced with locally sourced materials, providing a unique pathway for developing new regional battery manufacturing capacity entirely independent of traditional battery value chains.

Northvolt’s first generation of sodium-ion cell is designed primarily for energy storage, with subsequent generations delivering higher energy density opening opportunities to enable cost-efficient electric mobility solutions. Peter Carlsson: “Our sodium-ion technology delivers the performance required to enable energy storage with longer duration than alternative battery chemistries, at a lower cost, thereby opening new pathways to deploying renewable power generation. The potential of sodium-ion in this market alone will make a tremendous impact in the drive towards global electrification.”

Battery makers are racing to commercialize new technologies, including next-generation anodes, solid-state and sodium-ion batteries, to power EVs more cheaply and efficiently. Chinese EV maker BYD’s subsidiary announced a joint venture over the weekend to co-build a sodium-ion battery facility in the eastern Chinese city of Xuzhou.

Northvolt was established in 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden. Pioneering a sustainable model for battery manufacturing, the company has received 55 billion dollars in orders from key customers, including BMW, Fluence, Scania, Volvo Cars and Volkswagen Group. The company is currently delivering batteries from its first gigafactory Northvolt Ett, in Skellefteå, Sweden and from its R&D and industrialization campus Northvolt Labs, in Västerås, Sweden. It has over 5,000 employees in Sweden, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal and the US. The company — Europe’s only major homegrown battery maker — is expanding EV battery production in Sweden and has plans to build factories in Germany and Canada.