The Daily Populous Friday May 1st, 2026 evening edition
Authored by carnewschina.com and submitted by sg_plumber

On April 21, during the CATL Tech Day event, CATL announced that its sodium-ion batteries will enter mass production by 2026. When the supply chain matures, CATL expects vehicles with sodium-ion batteries to feature a range of up to 600 km.

Wu Kai, CATL’s Chief Scientist and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, declared that the company has resolved core manufacturing challenges, paving the way for large-scale production by the fourth quarter of this year.

Unlike traditional LFP or NMC batteries, sodium-ion batteries perform well in freezing conditions, as sodium-ion cells can retain about 90% of nominal capacity at -40°C. Their price is expected to be about 30% lower than LFP, and they will help strengthen the supply chain as they don’t require lithium or other scarce battery minerals. A con is lower energy density.

Breaking through technical barriers for mass production.

CTO Gao Huan revealed that CATL has overcome four major industry hurdles: extreme moisture control, hard carbon gas generation, aluminium foil bonding bottlenecks, and mass production of self-generating anodes. The company said it has systematically addressed over 100 engineering challenges to enable commercial-scale production.

As reported by Chinese media NBD, by 2025, CATL had invested nearly 10 billion yuan (1,450 million USD) in sodium battery research and development. Chairman Robin Zeng projects that sodium-ion batteries will eventually replace 30% to 40% of the existing battery market, signalling a fundamental shift rather than mere supplementation.

The commercial rollout is already underway. In December 2025, CATL announced plans for large-scale sodium battery applications across four sectors: battery swapping, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and energy storage. By early 2026, the company launched its “Tectrans II” light commercial vehicle solution, featuring the industry’s first mass-produced sodium battery for the light commercial sector.

Passenger vehicles are next. On February 5 this year, the world’s first mass-produced sodium battery passenger vehicle – a joint creation of Changan Automobile and CATL – was unveiled, with market launch expected mid-year. Additionally, Gao revealed that Aion UT Super, developed jointly by JD.com, GAC Group, and CATL, will also feature a sodium battery variant, with production slated for Q2 2026.

Energy density remains the technology’s primary constraint. CATL said its sodium systems reach approximately 175Wh/kg. Consequently, current automotive applications focus on micro electric vehicles priced below 100,000 yuan (14,500 USD) or A0-class and smaller vehicles.

However, Gao expressed optimism that as the supply chain matures, sodium battery vehicles could achieve ranges of 600 km for pure electric models and 300-400 km pure electric range for extended-range hybrids, satisfying over 50% of market demands.

Liu Miao Writer Liu Miao covers NEVs and batteries at CNC to contribute to the energy transition, in spare time he loves driving his EV around.

dayofdefeat_ on May 1st, 2026 at 00:48 UTC »

I've invested in this space for a few years. As others have pointed out, Sodium Ion batteries are not a like-for-like replacement for Lithium Ion batts found in BYDs, Porsche, Ford, and some Tesla's etc.

Sodium Ion batts have lower power density by around 35%, meaning their range is lower and power output is weaker.

However, at scale, a Sodium Ion batt supply chain is far more environmentally sustainable versus current Lithium Ion products.

I'd expect in 2-3 years, most auto makers will switch low and mid priced vehicles to Sodium Ion and prices in theory will drop. Lithium Ion will remain the choice for high performance EVs.

Additionally, there's still more development to make on Sodium battery tech so I'd expect the gap to gradually close.

Phasing out Lithium Ion batteries for cars and mass transit is wise because of the rare earth mineral demands and cabon impact of that supply chain.

Lonely_Noyaaa on April 30th, 2026 at 23:58 UTC »

The 175Wh/kg energy density is lower than lithium, so these won't power a long range Tesla anytime soon. But for city cars, delivery vans, and home storage, who cares. 600 km range is plenty for 90 percent of daily driving, especially at a 30 percent lower price point.

lucky_bat on April 30th, 2026 at 22:34 UTC »

Can not wait!