Germany | NATO DIANA Energy & Power 2026
Sodium-ion batteries that eliminate lithium/cobalt dependency -- MIT's 2026 Breakthrough Technology, made in Europe.
NATO DIANA 2026 Cohort
TAURiON (under parent SCIRES Battery Technologies, Munich) develops sodium-ion batteries using sodium anodes. CEO Dr. Claudia Lintz leads the team. Sodium-ion was named MIT Technology Review's 2026 Breakthrough Technology.
Zero lithium, zero cobalt, zero nickel = no Chinese supply chain dependency. Sodium is infinitely abundant and geographically distributed. Non-flammable electrolyte = inherently safer. Operates -40C to 60C. Can be fully discharged to 0V for safe shipping. European manufacturing = sovereign supply chain.
Data centers are deploying massive battery storage for UPS and grid services. Lithium-ion supply chains are concentrated in China (80%+ of refining). A single geopolitical disruption could halt DC battery procurement. TAURiON's sodium-ion provides supply chain diversification with comparable performance.
Cell cost target: $40-60/kWh (vs. $90-130/kWh for lithium-ion NMC). Reduced fire suppression requirements save $500K-2M per facility. No hazmat shipping costs. Longer cycle life at partial depth of discharge.
TRL 5-6 -- Lab-scale cells validated, scaling to production. DIANA accelerator supporting commercial-scale manufacturing pathway.
TAURiON develops sodium-ion batteries using sodium anodes -- no lithium, no cobalt, no Chinese supply chain. MIT's 2026 Breakthrough Technology. Non-flammable, ships non-hazardous, operates -40C to 60C. European manufacturing. Cell cost target $40-60/kWh.