A Battery Revolution in Motion | Alternative Energy | Forums

this could be huge for alternatives

The first prototype of a sodium-ion battery has just been revealed by the RS2E, a French network bringing together researchers and industrial actors. This technology, inspired by the lithium-ion batteries already used in portable computers and electric vehicles, could lead to the mass storage of intermittent renewable energy sources.

The announcement should cause a stir in the highly competitive world of batteries. French researchers from the RS2E network1 today revealed the first prototype of the sodium-ion "18650" battery, a standard format used notably in portable computers. The information may not sound exciting to non-specialists... Yet scientists across the globe, including the US, Japan, the UK, and Israel, are working on this technology—which today is considered the most serious alternative to the lithium-ion batteries that equip practically all portable electronic devices (portable computers, tablets, smartphones...)—and are beginning to take a serious look at electric vehicles. The battery used for Tesla cars, for example, is nothing more than the combination of several thousand "18650" lithium-ion batteries.

more https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/a-battery-revolution-in-motion