Major sodium-ion battery milestone passed by California startup — Unigrid aces Hyundai’s safety tests down to -20C as experts call tech a 'compelling alternative' to lithium-ion

Lithium-ion batteries are one of the most successful technologies ever invented, and now span everything from smartphones to power stations — but the technology is not without its flaws and limitations, and scientists are now busy trying to figure out which type of next-gen battery will take over next.

One of the big safety risks with lithium-ion is thermal runaway, causing overheating and fires, and some future battery technologies are focusing on this in particular. One of the leading contenders, sodium-ion, just passed a major safety test at Hyundai, while this battery type is also showing lots of promise overall.

Here's what you need to know about the recent breakthrough we've seen with sodium-ion technology, what its benefits are more broadly, and how it might eventually overtake lithium-ion as the default battery chemistry of choice.

Hyundai, Unigrid, and the thermal runway

We know that lithium-ion batteries are a fire risk...

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