The Fascinating World of Sodium-Ion Batteries: Insights from Dr. Vilas (Rechargion)
Welcome to this episode of the Green Business Podcast! Today, we are joined by Dr. Vilas, the co-founder of Rechargion. Dr. Vilas is a scientist turned entrepreneur who, along with his wife Dr. Manjusha, a battery chemistry expert, is developing sodium-ion batteries at Rechargion. While lithium-ion batteries dominate the market, sodium-ion batteries are emerging as the underdogs with significant promise. In this episode, we’ll explore how Rechargion is advancing this exciting technology and its potential impact on the future of energy storage.
Transition from academia to entrepreneurship
Dr. Vilas describes how their adventure started in 2000 when he was a scientist at Bhopal University and married Manjusha, a chemist who had joined the Bhopal CSR laboratory. Later, Vilas stayed in Bhopal, and she relocated to Pune to take up a job at the National Chemical Laboratory. Dr. Vilas says:
“We each focused on our areas of expertise for almost 15 years, managing our careers from two different cities: me on oxide materials for cathodes and Manjusha on anode materials for rechargeable batteries. We made the decision to work together and launch our battery business after realizing our combined potential. We teamed up with Dr. John Norman, a scientist with a wealth of commercial expertise, to help us navigate the corporate world.”
Need for sodium-ion batteries
The lithium-ion battery market faces issues with safety, reliance on Chinese raw materials, and high costs. Sodium-ion batteries present a promising alternative, using abundant local sodium resources to reduce import dependency. They offer comparable energy density, enhanced safety with lower overheating risks, and significantly lower costs, crucial for India’s electric vehicle market. With twice the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries, they promote vehicle longevity. Our initiative aims for a fully made-in-India solution, advancing sustainable and affordable energy options for electric mobility while addressing safety and supply chain resilience.
Rechargion’s proprietary technology
Manjusha’s team at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) spent over a decade developing proprietary sodium-ion battery technology. They leveraged the Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (STEDS) to transfer this technology to Rechargion for commercialization, with ongoing support from NCL for further development. This partnership enabled the company’s incorporation and progress to pilot-scale production.
Why are sodium-ion batteries not available on a commercial scale yet?
The development of sodium-ion batteries started alongside lithium-ion batteries. However, lithium-ion batteries advanced more quickly due to their superior energy density and cycle life. Sodium-ion batteries initially struggled to match these parameters, but significant progress was made around 10 years ago at the laboratory scale.
The main challenge now is to replicate this performance on a large production scale, which has delayed commercial availability. The difficulties lie primarily in the material science aspects of the electrode materials. Rechargion, with its experienced founding team, is well-equipped to address these issues.
Why is there excitement about sodium-ion batteries now?
Dr. Vilas discusses initial misconceptions about sodium-ion batteries, such as the belief that they would be bulkier and heavier than lithium-ion batteries due to larger sodium ions. Scientific research, however, revealed that energy density is determined by intercalation forces, not ion size. This discovery showed that sodium-ion batteries could match lithium-ion batteries in energy density.
Further studies demonstrated that sodium-ion batteries might offer better cycle life, safety, and charging speed. With lithium resource limitations, interest in commercializing sodium-ion batteries has grown, and major companies like Reliance, Tata, and BYD plan to commercialize them by 2024.
Commercialization of Rechargion’s sodium-ion technology
Now that the technical issues with sodium-ion batteries have been resolved, the focus is on building the supply chain. This includes sourcing raw materials, manufacturing battery components, and setting up the fabrication process. Although sodium is abundant, creating battery-grade sodium carbonate and establishing the supply chain will take time. Additionally, the batteries need to be tested, validated, and certified by regulatory bodies before commercialization. This entire process is expected to take about one to two years, with the first commercial launches anticipated by the end of this year.
Use cases for sodium-ion batteries
Dr. Vilas talks about how various energy solutions will coexist rather than replace each other entirely. Just as multiple fuels like petrol, ethanol, coal, and wood are used today, different battery chemistries will be needed for different applications.
Options like lithium-ion chemistries (LFP, NMC, LCA) and multiple sodium-ion chemistries will cater to specific customer requirements, such as long-range, high power, or extended battery life, and applications like consumer electronics, mobile towers, or vehicles. Cost will also be a significant factor in choosing the appropriate battery type.
The business model of Rechargion
Dr. Vilas outlines the company’s business model and its role in the sodium-ion battery industry. As technopreneurs, their core strength is in technology development, focusing on manufacturing sodium-ion battery cells using existing lithium-ion facilities. Aiming to reduce reliance on imported cells from China, they plan to produce these cells domestically and market them through a B2B model.
They will supply the cells to battery pack manufacturers, who will assemble them with Battery Management Systems (BMS) for various applications. Thus, the company will serve as a key supplier of battery cells within the industry.
Future plans
Dr. Vilas says,
“We’ve secured funding from several ministries and international forums to set up our pilot plant. Within two months, we aim to have the plant operational. Currently, we’re synthesizing materials at small scales and will soon begin pilot-level fabrication of battery cells by July or August. It’ll take time to optimize performance at this scale, but by year-end, we plan to demonstrate the performance of our sodium-ion battery technology. Our partner, the Automotive Research Association of India, will test these cells for another six months for validation. By then, we expect our minimum viable product to be ready within a year.”
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