Beyond the Li-ion chemistry, several alternative battery technologies are being developed and commercialized. These include sodium-ion (Na-ion), lithium-sulfur (Li-S), Zinc-air (Zn-air) and rechargeable Zinc-based batteries, various redox flow battery (RFB) chemistries, iron-air (Fe-air), supercapacitors, and others.
These alternatives can offer differentiated performance from Li-ion batteries. Li-S, for example, can offer significant improvements to gravimetric energy density, which would be particularly useful for drone or aerospace applications. On the other hand, supercapacitors offer significant improvements to power capability for hybridized EVs, energy recuperation from regenerative braking, or for high-throughput stationary storage applications, while redox flow battery chemistries can offer much higher cycle lives and can use low-cost materials that make them well suited to stationary applications despite lower energy densities. Furthermore, with material shortages looming, technologies utilizing abundant materials such as iron, sulfur, or sodium could become highly valuable.
Companies and developers must consider what chemistries and technologies are optimal for their desired applications and products and which technologies are most likely to succeed.
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