A rechargeable sodium-ion pouch battery made by Faradion in Sheffield 2022, showcasing sodium as a more abundant and sustainable material in contrast to the lithium found in lithium-ion batteries.
This object is an example of a rechargeable sodium ion pouch battery. It is analogous in many ways to a lithium ion battery, but with the lithium replaced by sodium in this version. It was conceived and manufactured by British company Faradion in Sheffield in 2022 and is one of the first sodium ion batteries ever to be made commercially available.
The foremost advantage of sodium ion batteries comes from the natural abundance and lower cost of sodium compared with lithium. The drawback is that sodium is heavier, so sodium ion batteries cannot reach the same energy per weight levels that lithium can.