US battery startups push sodium-ion supply chains closer to home
Early sales and new partnerships show the domestic sodium-ion push is moving from lab work toward real shipments and plant plans.
US battery startups are trying to build a domestic sodium-ion supply chain, but the segment is still early and depends heavily on Chinese cells today. Unigrid says demand for its 9 kilowatt hour home battery jumped in Europe during the summer heatwaves, and it has shipped the first 100 units with 1,000 more expected by year end. The company says its battery has cleared European certification and safety testing and is going through US review, while researchers have warned that its chromium-3 cathode material could under some conditions create chromium-6. Other US players are also pushing ahead: Emerald Battery Labs is selling 12 volt auxiliary batteries while it develops US-made sodium-ion components, and Peak Energy has a June partnership with General Motors aimed at a Michigan production facility by the end of 2028.
Why it matters
For buyers and automakers, the immediate change is that more sodium-ion batteries are moving through certification, sales and manufacturing planning at the same time. Unigrid is already shipping home batteries, while Peak Energy’s GM partnership points to a possible US production base in Michigan by the end of 2028. The sector still relies on Chinese cells for now, so the shift is underway but not yet complete.
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Sources
- BBC Technology