Sodium-ion batteries can reduce reliance on critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, while supporting cleaner energy storage, renewable electricity and affordable electric vehicles. Increased investment could help the UK become a leader in next generation battery technology.

Lithium-ion batteries are currently the dominant technology for electric vehicles and energy storage, but extracting lithium, cobalt and nickel can have significant environmental and social impacts, including high water use, habitat disruption and pollution associated with mining operations. Sodium-ion batteries are promising because sodium is abundant, and can reduce reliance on several critical minerals. They also have strong potential for storing renewable energy from wind and solar.