Tiamat: batteries sodium – ion

Tiamat is a French startup developing sodium batteries. Created in 2017, it exploits work by the CEA and CNRS begun in 2012.

Tiamat technology: sodium-ion batteries

With lithium supplies under stress, more and more manufacturers are looking for alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for electricity storage. Sodium-ion batteries could be a viable substitute: not only is sodium a very common material, but these batteries would also have higher charge/discharge speeds than their competitors.(summary)

At present, the company seems to be focusing on supplying small batteries to manufacturers of hybrid cars. These would be more powerful and faster to recharge than lithium-ion batteries, which would be important for certain applications, notably acceleration assistance. In particular, it has partnered with:

  • BMS PowerSafe and Neogy (Startec Group), to develop sodium-ion batteries in the “industrial design of electronic and energy storage solutions”.(source)
  • Plastic Omnium to equip its hybrid cars.

History and financing of Tiamat

The research leading up to the Tiamat project began in 2012, with the creation of a “task force” between CEA, CNRS (Réseau sur le stockage électrochimique de l’énergie, RS2E) and Collège de France. The first 18650 sodium batteries (the model used I assume?) were produced by the scientists. In 2017, Tiamat won a national innovation competition, i-Lab, and the company was set up in Amiens. The founders are an entrepreneur, researchers from RS2E and CNRS Innovation.

It raises €1.6M in 2018 from Picardie Investissement and Finovam. After completing the first POCs (Proof of Concept) in 2019, in 2020 €3.5M is raised from historical investors and various local players.

Highlights:

  • In 2019, the French President is said to have started up a bus using a Tiamat battery.

  • Partnership with Startec Group announced: https://bmspowersafe.com/fr/actualites/tiamat-choisi-bms-powersafe-pour-la-conception-de-ses-batteries-sodium-ion/