While the attention to developments in the arena of high-voltage batteries that can power vehicles is considerable and understandable, turns out that low-voltage batteries—along the lines of the batteries under the hoods of ICE vehicles—shouldn’t be overlooked.
According to Clarios, a Wisconsin-based producer of batteries and battery systems, the low-voltage network in EVs and hybrids support such things as steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, and cabin infotainment, and the number of things being supported is only expected to grow.
It has signed a Joint Development Agreement with Altris, a Swedish developer and prototype manufacturer of sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries, for these low-voltage applications.
Why is this interesting?
Because according to the companies the Na-ion batteries:
- Provide a power density equivalent to LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries
- Are environmentally friendly: the materials used to produce Na-ion batteries include salt, wood, iron, and air
Clearly there’s some remarkable chemistry going on in those cells.
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