It’d be nice if this unlocks cheap micromobility. Even if the energy density is lower with sodium, a safe lithium ion battery for an ebike costs $350 at a minimum. That’s the cost of the bike frame. The watt hours per kilo on these early sodium batteries are comparable to my $500 battery, even if it isn’t equivalent to car-sized batteries. This article says that mining the sodium carbonate for it costs 6% of the lithium equivalent with a 28% savings in production costs: https://www.laserax.com/blog/sodium-ion-vs-lithium-ion-batteries
Currently a good ebike starts at $2000~ and a basic reliable one is $1000~. Even if the charging cycles are halved, a 28% cost reduction upfront would really cut into that and reduce the anxiety from battery range/safety. And that’s to say nothing of things like electric wheelchairs which have half the range at a much higher cost.
It’d be nice if this unlocks cheap micromobility. Even if the energy density is lower with sodium, a safe lithium ion battery for an ebike costs $350 at a minimum. That’s the cost of the bike frame. The watt hours per kilo on these early sodium batteries are comparable to my $500 battery, even if it isn’t equivalent to car-sized batteries. This article says that mining the sodium carbonate for it costs 6% of the lithium equivalent with a 28% savings in production costs: https://www.laserax.com/blog/sodium-ion-vs-lithium-ion-batteries
Currently a good ebike starts at $2000~ and a basic reliable one is $1000~. Even if the charging cycles are halved, a 28% cost reduction upfront would really cut into that and reduce the anxiety from battery range/safety. And that’s to say nothing of things like electric wheelchairs which have half the range at a much higher cost.