What will be addressed?

• Sodium ion batteries - More of a challenge than an opportunity for the EU?
• Will sodium ion batteries replace lithium?
• Is Europe too late to keep up with the development in this new technology?

In this Battery Live Talk, moderator Dr. Kerstin Zehbe, VDI/VDE-IT, will discuss with her guests Andreas Bergfelt, Altris, and Dr. Anselm Lorenzoni, EDAG Production Solution, how Europe can keep up in this technology, especially as the first mass productions are already starting in China.

Sodium ion batteries are promising: They can operate well in colder temperatures, and sodium is cheap and abundant. Sodium based batteries will be more environmentally friendly and even less expensive than lithium ion batteries are becoming now. Thus, Europe should not miss out on this technology.

While CATL already presented plans for the mass production of sodium ion batteries in 2021, this alternative technology has not yet fully reached experts and insitutes in Europe. Not so in China: The Chinese government has already passed the second law for the standardization of sodium batteries. 

The energy density of CATL’s first-generation sodium ion battery cell can achieve up to 160 Wh/kg. A radical conversion of a large part of the industry to the new technology seems possible, since the plant technology is quite similar and only the starting materials and production parameters are changed. The first mass productions are already starting in China. For example, Lifun, a renowned company, plans to start mass production of sodium batteries in 2023.

We invite you to dive into the topic with us and find out what needs to be done to keep up pace. Listen to insightful presentations and participate in our interactive panel discussion.