China’s CATL tests EVs – and lithium’s dominance – with pioneering sodium-ion battery
The Naxtra battery, more price-stable and cold-resistant than the lithium-ion units now powering most EVs, will undergo its first tests this week
Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) has deployed the world’s first sodium-ion batteries in passenger cars, as it aims to stay ahead in China’s fiercely competitive electric vehicle (EV) market amid price volatility in traditional lithium-ion batteries.
The company’s new Naxtra battery will be installed in China Changan Automobile Group EVs this week for winter testing in the chilly Inner Mongolia autonomous region in the country’s north.
“The breakthroughs in sodium-ion technology bring greater resilience, a wider operating temperature range and more sustainable growth to electrification,” said Gao Huan, chief technology officer at the battery giant, at a press conference on Thursday.
Under an agreement between the two companies, Changan will start using CATL’s sodium-ion batteries across its entire brand portfolio – comprising the Avatr, Deepal, Qiyuan and Uni models.
Changan’s chief brand officer Tan Benhong said the firm would accelerate the application of sodium-ion batteries, as the state-managed carmaker echoed China’s national strategy of bringing safe, economical and durable EVs to more people.
The carmaker would also test its Avatr 12 model in Antarctica within the next 18 months, making it the first EV sedan to drive on the frozen continent, Tan said.