NAION

Grid-scale energy storage is being built on a supply chain concentrated in China, and the lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and copper that lithium-ion cells require all carry import and cost risk. NAION makes sodium-ion cells for stationary storage from soda ash, iron, phosphate, carbon and aluminum, materials it sources domestically. The company is building its cell manufacturing in the United States rather than importing finished cells.

Where lithium-ion producers such as CATL scale cell manufacturing in China and several American sodium-ion entrants buy Chinese cells for their first products, NAION intends to make its cells at home from the start. That positions it among a small group of United States sodium-ion cell makers competing on supply-chain independence and the cost of abundant materials rather than on energy density.