Sodium -ion battery startup Neutron This week’s operations ended, which ended the company’s 12 -year -old struggle to make its technology commercial in the United States.
The company had orders worth 25 million for its Michigan factory, but unless it has a UL certification, it could not supply them, According to The Rally’s News and Observer, which has reported about the business closure, as Netheron was planning to work in the state of North Carolina with his new factory.
However, obtaining a UL certification can be a long process, which often spanned for several months. Netheron’s investors called for further funding, which caused the startup to face a cash crisis.
Nutron’s main shareholders, Shirwood’s partner, tried to sell their shares but did not get a buyer. As a result, it is eliminating the company and laying a small number of employees, except for everyone, who will monitor the air -driven air.
Closure is an example of these challenges that come with an attempt to produce batteries without permanent industrial policies. The road from Startup to Giga factory often takes a decade or more – a journey that is mostly longer than most business cycles – and is definitely longer than most investors.
Netheron is being erected by a process called “assignment for lenders’ interests” Replacement of bankruptcy of Chapter 7 This may result in the sale of a sharp -and -calm – assets that leave the judicial proceedings, which causes many liquidations.
Was the company Announced A year ago, it will create a huge, $ 1.4 billion sodium -ion battery factory in North Carolina, which is capable of producing Gigwat hours of cells every year, which will generate more than a thousand jobs. Netheron focused on stationary storage and data center users, markets where sodium ion’s low energy density is not so much concerned.
Although sodium -ion batteries are capable of being significantly cheaper than their lithium -ion rivals due to the abundance of sodium, their capacity is less due to lithium price war in China. In the past two and a half years, the price of lithium carbonate has been curtained, 90 % fallingBenchmark Mineral Intelligence.
Nitron is the only latest accident in recent efforts to produce large quantities of batteries outside Asia.
In June, Oregon -based Pavin filed for the bankruptcy of Chapter 11 as it failed to find a non -Chinese supplier of lithium iron phosphate cells. The company used cells to collect grid scale batteries.
Earlier this year, Swedish battery makers Northolt also filed for bankruptcy in its home country, which ended the journey of Europe’s best opportunity in the rival of the hometown. The company was reportedly burning up to 100 million in a month as it struggled to specialize in manufacturing large -scale manufacturing. BMW canceled a $ 2 billion contract in June 2024 due to a failure to supply Northal.
In connection with the failures, the difficulty in building battery companies outside Asia has been highlighted, which has been developed for decades, with strong supply chain and companies.
If the United States or Europe is able to create a domestic challenge for Asian battery giants, it will have the government’s permanent support for a decade or more, not the wiping that has praised the last 15 years. In view of political facts, joint ventures with companies like Panasonic, LG Energy Solution, and SK Innovation are more likely to succeed.
For the future of the future, the West is still the best opportunity for domestic battery manufacturing.