Sodium-ion EV battery breakthrough delivers 11-min charging and 450 km range

Summary

The next generation of electric vehicle batteries is arriving, promising to be more efficient, safer, and lower cost. After another breakthrough, sodium-ion batteries for passenger EVs are nearing mass production. Sodium-ion EV batteries begin rolling out in China Just over a month after CATL and Changan Automobile unveiled the world’s first mass-produced EV with a sodium-ion battery, another “breakthrough” was announced this week. China’s Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC Group) revealed its latest progress with the new battery tech this week. The company’s R&D unit (BAIC R&D) shared on its WeChat account that it had achieved a “significant breakthrough,” completing its first sodium-ion battery prototype. BAIC’s Aurora battery series now spans lithium-ion, solid-state, and sodium-ion batteries. The sodium-ion battery pack features prismatic cells with an energy density of over 170Wh/kg, placing it among the best in the industry. Advertisement - scroll for more content In an update on Tuesday, BAIC Group revealed that the sodium-ion EV battery can achieve a CLTC driving range of 450 km (280 miles), again among the industry’s best. With 4C ultra-fast charging, the sodium-ion battery can fully recharge in about 11 minutes. One of the biggest takeaways is that the battery maintains performance across a wide temperature range, from -40°C (-40°F) to 60°C (140°F). BAIC said the sodium-ion battery maintained an energy retention rate of over 92% at -20°C (-4°F). The company announced on March 19 that it had completed a sodium-ion battery prototype and established a mass-production method for prismatic batteries. The achievement comes just over a month after CATL showcased its sodium-ion batteries in the Changan Nevo A06. (Source: CATL) “The breakthroughs in sodium-ion technology bring greater resilience, a wider operating temperature range, and more sustainable growth to electrification,” CATL’s chief tech officer, Gao Huan, said during a press conference in February. CATL’s “...