Lithium-ion batteries have become the most frequently used medium for energy storage inside hybrid and electric cars of today. They do, however, have certain drawbacks, which could be eliminated if lithium was to be replaced by sodium. Sodium is cheaper, safer and much easier to produce as it can be generated from the sodium chloride or, simply put, ordinary kitchen salt.
The bicycle presented at the launch had four, 12-cell sodium-ion units which were, being a prototype, considerably larger when compared with the lithium-ion equivalents. There is still a lot to be done and, once perfected, size, capacity and life span of sodium-ion batteries will be just the same as lithium-ion give us right now.