We have long relied on lithium-ion batteries for long-term energy storage, but they can be expensive to produce and maintain over the years. California-based startup Inlyte hopes to offer a scalable alternative using its sodium-iron battery technology, and the company will soon be manufacturing batteries to demonstrate its advantages.

Manufacturing partner Horien, based in Switzerland, has currently been producing sodium metal chloride batteries at such a facility, but will also undertake production of Inlyte sodium iron batteries.

The concept of sodium-iron batteries has been around for decades. British company Beta Research pioneered the use of this technology in electric vehicles as early as the 1970s, but it was unsuccessful and was replaced by lithium-ion batteries. A few years later, Stanford graduate Antonio Baclig chose to adapt the sodium metal halide battery design to create a utility-scale energy storage solution and founded his own company to commercialize it.

Inlyte inspected BetaResearch's work developing the technology and acquired the latter's team and facilities. In 2023, the startup raised $8 million in seed funding to pursue its ambitions. Now it has signed a deal with Horien Salt Battery Solutions to scale up sodium-iron battery production at a U.S. factory and bring these long-life energy storage batteries to market.

Inlyte hopes to commercialize its sodium-iron batteries in the U.S. by 2027 for long-term energy storage

The biggest appeal of sodium-iron batteries is in their name: They're made from two extremely abundant materials, which means they could cost as little as $35 per kilowatt-hour when produced at scale. That's a fraction of the cost of lithium-ion batteries, which cost about $139 per kilowatt-hour.

Sodium-iron batteries are also very durable, can be operated and transported safely in any climate, have a low fire risk, and are guaranteed to have 6-24 hours of energy storage. In comparison, lithium-ion energy storage batteries typically provide about 4 hours of energy storage.

Inlyte also demonstrated that its battery can last over 700 cycles without loss of energy capacity, and claims a battery life of at least 7,000 cycles, or 20 years. That could make lithium-ion storage options like Tesla's Megapack worth the money.

By partnering with Horien, Inlyte hopes to open its first U.S. battery factory by 2027. The company is already testing its technology at a pilot plant in the UK; leveraging Horien's expertise to manufacture in the US could accelerate its ambitions to commercialize the battery and sign up customers in the near future.