The World's First Sodium-Ion Battery in Commercial EVs - Great at Low Temperatures
6 83Long-time Slashdot reader Geoffrey.landis shared this report from InsideEVs: Chinese battery giant CATL and automaker Changan Automobile are preparing to put the world's first passenger car powered by sodium-ion batteries on public roads by mid-2026. And if the launch is successful, it could usher in an era where electric vehicles present less of a fire risk and can better handle extreme temperatures.
The CATL Naxtra sodium-ion battery will debut in the Changan Nevo A06 sedan, delivering an estimated range of around 400 kilometers (249 miles) on the China Light-Duty Test Cycle. From there, the battery will roll out across Changan's broader portfolio, including EVs from Avatr, Deepal, Qiyuan and Uni, the company said. "The launch represents a major step in the industry's transition toward a dual-chemistry ecosystem, where sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries complement each other to meet diverse customer needs," CATL said in a press release...
It delivers 175 watt-hours per kilogram of energy density, which is lower than nickel-rich chemistries but roughly on par with lithium ion phosphate batteries... Where the Naxtra battery really stands out, however, is cold-weather performance. CATL says its discharge power at -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) is three times higher than that of lithium ion phosphate batteries.
6 comments
Sodium is more suited to static installations (Score: 5, Interesting)
by Sethra ( 55187 ) on Saturday February 07, 2026 @08:29PM (#65975376)
It's heavier, more expensive, and has a lower power density than any Li batteries. With lithium prices way down, sodium is no longer economically viable, at least for vehicles. Sodium's place is in whole home power systems, particularly in regions with very cold weather, where weight is not an issue and the longer cycle life helps offset the greater costs.
If you're in a cold weather climate you're better off with an ICE or Hybrid vehicle. You can always charge your hybrid from your home sodium reserve.
Re: Sodium is more suited to static installations (Score: 5, Informative)
by Sethra ( 55187 ) on Saturday February 07, 2026 @10:26PM (#65975476)
Exactly. But it definitely has a place in ground based power storage. Homes with solar or large scale solar farms that need to cycle reliably every day. The greater cycle reliability makes them very attractive for that. Especially true in the north of course, but attractive anywhere really.
Now if all that hype surrounding the new solid state batteries turns out to be true, the entire industry is going to be overturned.
Re: Sodium is more suited to static installations (Score: 5, Interesting)
by Smidge204 ( 605297 ) on Sunday February 08, 2026 @08:02AM (#65975902)
You are greatly over-stating the effect of weight on efficiency. Yes, a heavier vehicle will be less efficient, but the effect is not that dramatic and virtually negligible for even a couple hundred pounds worth in a vehicle that's already 3000+ pounds.
I recall a test specifically with an F150 Lightning with a water tote in the bed, comparing efficiencies between an empty and full tote (~1600 lbs of water) and getting a difference in efficiency of only 5%.
So let's say the pack is 1000lbs and you need 25% more battery due to lower specific energy. 1250lbs. That extra 250lbs - which is basically equivalent to some passengers and/or cargo - is going to have a negligible impact on range. Well within the noise of day to day driving conditions.
=Smidge=
Re: Sodium is more suited to static installations (Score: 5, Informative)
by Guspaz ( 556486 ) on Saturday February 07, 2026 @09:37PM (#65975448)
CATL's LFP batteries hit 205 Wh/kg in 2024, so "roughly" is doing a lot of lifting there. It's 17% heavier for equivalent capacity. And it's not just a little lower than nickel-rich chemistries, it's a bit more than half as much.
It's also not clear how valuable cold weather performance is, newer EVs use heat pumps instead of resistance heating, and share the cooling loops between the powertrain, battery, and cabin, so that the heat removed from the motors can heat the cabin and battery. They're going to need that system in place (to heat the cabin and cool the powertrain) even if a new battery type can operate at colder temperatures.
Sodium batteries don't differ enough from LFP in cycle lifespan enough to matter (not for this sort of use case, anyway), and the density is lower, so the only way they'll be competitive is if they're sufficiently cheaper.
Re:Sodium is more suited to static installations (Score: 5, Informative)
by nickovs ( 115935 ) on Saturday February 07, 2026 @09:21PM (#65975428)
It's heavier, more expensive, and has a lower power density than any Li batteries.
No, sodium is much cheaper than lithium in the form that is needed to make batteries; recent commodity prices for NaOH have been 10x to 20x cheaper than bulk LiOH, although this isn't all the cost. The technology development is now to a state where complete sodium batteries are cheaper the lithium ones and has been for a year or so, and the technology is improving fast.
You are correct that the energy density is indeed worse, but that gap has also been closing in recent years. Modern Na batteries have better energy density than the Li batteries in cars from six or seven years ago. If you're trying to build a lot of cheap electric cars then the lower price is very likely more important than the cars being somewhat heavier and thus a bit slower.
confusion reigns (Score: 5, Informative)
by caviare ( 830421 ) on Saturday February 07, 2026 @09:50PM (#65975454)
In the summary, that's lithium iron phosphate, not lithium ion phosphate. I wish people would stop calling them that and instead call them lithium ferro-phosphate (from which comes the LFP acronym) because this is a mistake just waiting to happen.