Swedish battery maker Northvolt claims it has made a breakthrough with a sodium-ion battery.

It has been co-developed with research partner Altris for 'the global expansion of cost-efficient and sustainable energy storage systems worldwide'.

Peter Carlsson, CEO and Co-Founder of Northvolt, said: “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.”

Northvolt says the cell has been validated for an energy density of over 160 watt-hours per kilogram at the company’s R&D and industrialisation campus, Northvolt Labs, in Västerås.

The company says the validated cell is produced with minerals such as iron and sodium that are abundant on global markets, making it purportedly more sustainable than conventional nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC) or iron phosphate (LFP) chemistries.

It is based on a hard carbon anode and a Prussian White-based cathode, and does not contain lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite.

Northvolt says it plans to be the first to industrialise Prussian White-based batteries and bring them to commercial markets, being particularly attractive for energy storage solutions in upcoming markets including India, the Middle East and Africa.

Peter Carlsson continued: “The potential of sodium-ion in this market alone will make a tremendous impact in the drive towards global electrification.”