Successful validation of UNIGRID’s sodium chromium oxide (NCO) technology through Hyundai Motor Group’s ZER01NE Accelerator program paves way for next-generation, ultra-safe BESS deployment
UNIGRID and Hyundai Motor Group Complete Technology Validation of Sodium-on NCO Through ZER01NE Accelerator
SAN DIEGO and SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UNIGRID Inc., the ultra-safe sodium-ion battery company, has successfully completed the Hyundai Motor Group’s ZER01NE Accelerator program, achieving critical technology validation milestones for its proprietary sodium chromium oxide (NCO) chemistry. Initiated in 2025, the collaboration focused on identifying promising, non-flammable battery energy storage system (BESS) technologies to deliver high-safety energy infrastructure. Following an intensive evaluation process, UNIGRID’s unique chemistry was selected for advanced testing.
The technology qualification program yielded outstanding performance and safety results. UNIGRID’s NCO cells successfully passed stringent safety abuse tests with no fire and no thermal propagation. In cycle life evaluations, the cells demonstrated superior durability under full depth of discharge (100% DoD), showing minimal capacity degradation even under sustained continuous cycling conditions. Additionally, robust operational capabilities were validated across a broad thermal range, spanning from -20°C to 60°C.
“Validating our chemistry under the Group’s rigorous standards confirms that our NCO technology solves the dual challenges of safety and longevity required to successfully deploy sodium-ion to solve emerging grid energy needs,” said Darren H. S. Tan, CEO & Co-Founder of UNIGRID.
“UNIGRID’s impressive validation performance demonstrates that their advanced sodium-ion chemistry is well positioned to meet the high safety and performance criteria of our upcoming energy initiatives,” said Jongguk Bae, Senior Manager at the Group’s Green Factory Development Team.
Moving forward, and aligned with the Group’s overarching Green Factory initiative, Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) alongside its Korean integration partners, will jointly develop an sodium-ion (NCO) BESS system and prove the system’s excellence to the industry. These optimized platforms will be used as a core resource for distributed energy sources in the Group’s global production facilities and energy business.
Learn more about UNIGRID’s technology on the website.
About UNIGRID Inc.
UNIGRID, Inc. delivers safe, low-cost, advanced sodium-ion batteries to power energy storage and electric mobility applications. A University of California, San Diego spin-off, the company was founded in 2021 based on the groundbreaking Ph.D. research of Dr. Darren H. S. Tan and Dr. Erik A. Wu. To learn more about UNIGRID, Inc., visit https://unigridbattery.com/
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