Blending Strategic Foresight & Innovation | Design Thinking & Behavioural Finance practitioner | Crafting Future-Focused Strategies with Empathy
EVs powered by Sodium: Time to look beyond Lithium -- Researchers are considering the possibility of using abundant elements like sodium as substitutes for scarce and environmentally harmful materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel in battery production. 📌 Two million litres of water are needed to extract 1,000 kilos of lithium. Tiamat Energy is developing sodium-ion batteries, and while they cannot compete with the range of current storage systems, they could be suitable for shorter car trips. 🤟 User behaviour is programmed While many people demand large batteries with long ranges, research shows that smaller batteries with shorter ranges are often sufficient for most trips, as extremely long journeys that require additional range are relatively rare. Therefore, an over-emphasis on range leads to increased vehicle costs and unnecessary resource consumption for electric cars. A shift in mentality towards smaller batteries with less range could further promote sodium as an alternative. This would allow the technology to be deployed in homes and workplaces as energy storage systems from renewable sources. 💡 Sodium-ion batteries are based on more abundant and safer materials. Key initiatives in this space: - The European SIMBA project is developing a sodium-ion battery for homes, with a prototype already in laboratory tests. - The Basque Research Center CIC energiGUNE has developed a sodium metal anode that is 70 times thinner than current ones, reducing the amount of sodium needed and the costs, weight and dimensions of the batteries, while increasing energy density and safety. 🖌 The Bottomline The energy density of lithium-ion batteries makes them ideal for portable devices like smartphones and electric vehicles. Sodium-ion batteries, although larger, offer a potentially cost-effective solution for storing energy in various settings, including residential homes, power tools, and smaller vehicles. What do you think about this? #sknotes #EV #mobility #climatechange #WhatIf? #innomantra #businessdesign #renewableenergy #lithium #tesla Lokesh Venkataswamy Rakesh Babu K.L Tojin Thomas Eapen, PhD Hiten Pal Saklani Innomantra
Blending Strategic Foresight & Innovation | Design Thinking & Behavioural Finance practitioner | Crafting Future-Focused Strategies with Empathy
1moRead more: https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-magazine/pass-salt-please-power-lies-within https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2024-05-24/the-world-urgently-looks-for-alternatives-to-lithium-batteries.html