July 24, 2025: Sodium ion battery technology developed by a UK university for sustainable e-mobility applications in East Africa has secured undisclosed investment from the Faraday Institution.
The StamiNa (Sustainable Transport and Affordable Mobility through Innovation in Na-ion) project is led by Swansea University in partnership with Coventry University, Na-ion tech firm Batri, Strathmore University in Kenya, the AceOn Group and the Federal University of Technology Owerri in Nigeria.
Swansea and Batri said on July 18 their technology uses Prussian White cathodes and coal-derived hard carbon anodes with a predicted energy density that exceeds commercially available Na-ion batteries, making it competitive with LFP batteries.
Unlike alternatives, Prussian White is synthesised in water under mild conditions and is free of nickel and cobalt, the researchers said. This they say enables an energy-efficient production process that significantly reduces environmental impact and opens the potential to establish local supply chains.
StamiNa lead professor Serena Margadonna, chair in materials engineering at Swansea, said the project aims to demonstrate and validate a new sodium ion battery tech through a prototype swappable battery pack designed for e-mobility applications.
Margadonna said the tech could offer an alternative to LFP batteries for the transition to electric mobility in sub-Saharan Africa because they are easier to transport and do not have the same supply chain vulnerabilities.
The project has a number of aims, including refining electrode fabrication and cell assembly processes and the manufacture of multilayer pouch cells and 18650 cylindrical cells at Coventry University.
The cells will be integrated into AceOn’s swappable battery pack and battery management system, with field testing conducted on e-bikes at Strathmore University, Kenya.
Margadonna said the project also seeks to accelerate the commercialization of UK Na-ion technology.
Faraday’s backing is the second phase of its Ayrton Challenge on Energy Storage R&D program.
