Multymeter.com –Technology: Chinese battery company Tianneng Group officially enters Indonesia. Its arrival in Indonesia also introduces sodium ion battery technology that can be used for electric vehicles.
Sodium ion as a power source for electric vehicles is really something new, compared to lithium ion, which is already widely used by automotive companies producing electric vehicles.
Actually, sodium ion batteries have been around for decades, but their development stopped only to develop lithium ion batteries. And now this battery technology is starting to be developed again, and one of them is from the Tianneng Group company.
The sodium-ion battery is similar in design to the lithium-ion battery in that both types generate electricity through a chemical reaction and consist of an anode, cathode, separator and electrolyte.
However, in a sodium-ion battery, lithium ions are replaced by sodium ions at the cathode of the battery and lithium salts are exchanged for sodium salts in the electrolyte.
This cannot be separated from the world’s largest electric vehicle battery company, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) in 2021 revealed that they are investing to develop the technology.
Quoting CNBC, sodium-ion batteries cannot provide a longer range for electric vehicles than lithium-ion batteries. But apparently, this battery has a number of advantages.
For example, the materials used in sodium-ion batteries are less expensive than lithium-ion batteries. This is expected to make the price of electric cars more affordable.
“It doesn’t use expensive raw materials,” said James Quinn, chief executive of U.K.-based sodium-ion battery maker Faradion.
“There’s no cobalt, no copper, no lithium, no graphite, which is currently completely controlled by China,” he said.
Quinn says sodium-ion batteries are also safer because they can be fully discharged for transport.
In February 2023, the first electric car using sodium-ion batteries will be launched. The car is produced by JAC, a Chinese automaker, namely the Sehol E10X.
Quoting Bloomberg, the main challenge of sodium-ion batteries is their lower energy density, cars using these batteries have to use heavier batteries for the same amount of kilowatt-hour capacity.
The E10X, for example, has an energy density of 140 watt-hours per kilogram, which is reduced to 120 Wh/kg at the battery level. This is 25 percent lower than current LFP battery packs.
Tianneng wants to build a factory in Indonesia
Tianneng introduced itself as a new battery company in Indonesia at the 2023 Periklindo Electric Vehicle Show (PEVS). In addition to being a supplier of batteries for domestic electric vehicles, it also unveiled plans to build a factory in Indonesia.
Jack Yang, vice president of Tianneng Group, said that, as an initial stage, the company’s business started by collaborating with local two-wheeler brands, namely United and Selis, and then supplying batteries with sodium-ion technology.
This collaboration is expected to produce ‘green’ products that are more affordable.
“We have collaborated with well-known electric bicycle and motorcycle manufacturers in Indonesia, such as United Bike, Selis and others,” Jack said.
He added that the company plans to establish an office in Indonesia in the near future. Only then will the next step be taken to set up a battery factory.
In addition to batteries for electric vehicles, Tianneng also has other lines of business, namely energy storage systems and the ability to open battery recycling facilities.***
