The world’s first EV with a sodium-ion battery has landed – and it beats traditional lithium batteries in one key way

• Changan will be the first company to use a sodium-ion battery
• Improved performance in extreme cold weather is just one highlight
• CATL also announces 5C lithium-ion packs that will last longer than most cars

The world’s first mass-produced sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery for cars has entered mass production and will be sold in China in the upcoming Changan Nevo A06 EV.

The battery technology, which has been developed by CATL (arguably the world’s largest manufacturer of EV batteries), has just finished winter testing in Inner Mongolia, where temperatures regularly drop well below what most EVs are designed to handle.

According to Gizmochina, the Nevo A06 was able to charge without issue at around -30°C (-22°F) and continued operating at temperatures as low as -50°C (-58°F).

Reports state that at -40°C (-40°F), the battery retained more than 90% of its original capacity, a level of performance that is very hard to achieve with conventional lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries – as you can see in this brutal winter test.

The CATL Naxtra sodium-ion battery pack is claimed to be the first that's certified for use in passenger vehicles and the version selected by Changan has a capacity of 45kWh, which means it only delivers around 250 miles of range on China’s CLTC test cycle.

According to Changan, this puts it on a par with similar entry-level LFP-based EVs, but the cold weather performance is much greater.

The Mongolian testing revealed that sodium-ion packs could sustainably deliver more power in extreme cold weather than LFP counterparts, without the associated range loss.

Analysis: A briny breakthrough

CATL sees the mass production of its Naxtra sodium-ion battery pack as the beginning of a “dual-chemistry” phase for EVs, where the right technology can be selected by EV makers for the correct application.

For example, sodium-ion batteries may appear on electric vehicles that regularly operate in freezing conditions, although Changan is reportedly considering introducing the technology to its wider range, given the potential savings it offers.

Sodium-ion battery packs have also been backed by those against the mining of lithium, as sodium is 1,000 times more abundant and available in a number of geographical regions, meaning the supply chain isn’t controlled largely by one country.

On top of this, Na-ion packs are said to be slightly safer, as there is a reduced risk of thermal runaway, while production, if scaled correctly, can be cheaper, offering greater choice to EV makers wanting to lower the cost of entry-level EVs with a lower overall electric range.

That said, lithium-ion packs are also improving at a rapid rate and are quickly becoming the better option for both longevity and charging speeds.

CATL claims its latest 5C lithium ion pack can retain 80 percent of its original capacity after 3,000 full charge cycles under ideal 20 degrees C (68 F) conditions, even when charging solely on some of the fastest outlets in circulation.

According to Carscoops, this equates to roughly 1.1 million miles of motoring before the battery is deemed to have lost enough capacity to cause concern.

The 5C in the title also refers to a charge rate that the battery can manage, with CATL stating that its ultra-tough lithium-ion tech can theoretically be charged from empty in about 12 minutes, which should give greater peace of mind to those regularly charging on the public network and fearing this might prematurely impact battery capacity.

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