The Swedish startup, which is building a battery factory in Quebec, announced the news Tuesday. Sodium-based batteries could offer a lower-cost and safer way to store energy in high temperatures than conventional lithium-ion batteries, Northvolt said, making it promising for growing markets like India, the Middle East and Africa. (The Logic)

Talking point: The battery design, which is free of lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite, relies on abundant minerals like iron and sodium that could be easier and cheaper for manufacturers to source on a global scale and build into new supply chains. Northvolt isn’t the only one pursuing the technology. Chinese battery giant CATL has been working on sodium-ion batteries for years. Closer to home, researchers at Dalhousie University’s Tesla-funded lab have studied sodium-ion batteries, and Edmonton-based Nanode Battery Technologies is also working on the challenge. Northvolt said Tuesday it wants to be the first to industrialize the batteries using the chemical called Prussian White, and will focus on energy storage before tackling sodium vehicle batteries.