The San Diego battery maker has an impressive sodium-ion product designed to replace long-standing lead-acid batteries in many settings.
Along with this, UNIGRID is staking a big claim in the replaceable battery market – valued at around $50 billion annually by Fortune Business Insights.
Dubbed Na⁺ Fleet, the 12-volt product is designed to properly start internal combustion engines in cars, trucks, forklifts and other technology as well as power lights and electronics in electric vehicles.
“Strategically, this is an attractive early entry market for sodium-ion; it is a large, already existing market that is primed for disruption using older technology,” UNIGRID co-founder Darren HS Tan said in a press release.
The downside is that it’s an investment in a product that involves pollution-chugging transportation. In addition to reducing local air quality, tailpipe exhaust can increase the risk of cancer, according to the American Lung Association.
However, the battery is also a breakthrough for sodium-ion chemistry, which experts around the world are developing as a cheaper, better-performing alternative to lithium-ion and lead-acid versions.
UNIGRID said in a press release that its battery life is 10 times longer than lead acid, which has been used for more than a century.
Breakthrough could replace these types of batteries, thereby reducing the amount of harmful waste generated by improperly disposed lead-acid packs. The Environmental Protection Agency detailed many of the problems they cause, such as lead exposure can damage the brain, kidneys, and hearing.
The Na⁺ fleet can last up to 5,000 cycles in hot or cold weather, requires no maintenance, and is lightweight, UNIGRID notes in its list of features.
“Sodium-ion … beats lead-acid in almost all metrics … including total cost,” Tan said in the statement.
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Sodium-ion packs are also being developed to power EVs, and UNIGRID’s progress could be part of the path to next-generation technology for cleaner vehicles.
According to the US Department of Energy, EVs prevent thousands of pounds of air pollution annually compared to gas cars. Interesting engineering added that the Na⁺ fleet could be used to power EV ancillary systems, even replacing lead-acid for that job.
Global sales of EVs have reached 18.5 million vehicles through November, a 21% increase over 2024, according to supply chain analyst Row Motion.
Overseas markets are stronger than the state one, where growth has been “subdued” due to well-documented policy changes and the end of the federal EV tax credit, the report added.
But it’s still a good time to make the switch, as many states offer benefits for buying and charging EVs, offering annual gas and service savings of up to $1,500. That’s thanks to no oil changes, spark plug replacements, and other general maintenance.
Adding solar power to the home to charge vehicles increases savings. Cool Down’s Solar Explorer can help you get started with curated quotes, installer recommendations and other tips.
Meanwhile, UNIGRID continues to log sodium-ion innovations in the rapidly advancing battery field.
The latter one provides “a sufficiently long operational life span”, the company said.
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