Tesla supplier CATL’s cheaper sodium-ion battery gives electric-car makers an alternative to existing technology

The new battery will offer EV makers an alternative to existing technologies that use cobalt as the main ingredient

CATL wants to deploy the sodium-ion battery on an industrial scale and planned to form a basic industrial chain in 2023, chairman Robin Zeng said

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Contemporary Amperex Technology’s factory in Ningde, Fujian province. The company unveiled a new battery technology on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:30pm, 29 Jul 2021Updated: 9:30pm, 29 Jul 2021

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), a supplier to Tesla and other major electric-vehicle makers, unveiled the world’s first sodium-ion battery on Thursday, to cut reliance on expensive metals such as cobalt and nickel.

The new battery, which uses cheaper raw materials, will offer EV makers an alternative to existing technologies that use cobalt as the main ingredient.

Robin Zeng, founder and chairman of Ningde, Fujian-based CATL, said the new technology had several advantages over lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) batteries despite having lower energy density.

“Our first-generation sodium-ion batteries have outstanding advantages in low-temperature performance and charging speed,” he told a virtual briefing.

Robin Zeng is the founder and chairman of Chinese battery producer Contemporary Amperex Technology. Photo: Getty Images

CATL wants to deploy the sodium-ion battery on an industrial scale and planned to form a basic industrial chain in 2023, Zeng Yuqun said.

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