"Naxtra" Battery by CATL – Ready for Commercial and Passenger Electric Vehicles
Starter battery for commercial vehicles (June 2025) :
✅ 8-year lifespan, total cost 61% lower than lead-acid batteries
✅ Cold start capability at -40 °C, deep discharge without degradation
✅ First implementation in FAW Jiefang heavy trucks
Passenger electric vehicles (December 2025) :
⚡ 5C fast charging (over 200 km for hybrids, over 500 km for pure electric vehicles)
❄️ No power loss in extreme cold conditions
🔥 Unparalleled safety : withstands crush, puncture, and cutting tests
💎 Energy density of 175 Wh/kg (the highest among mass-produced SIBs)
The "anode-free" revolution of CATL
✅ No anode, higher density: CATL's new technology eliminates traditional anode materials. Instead, sodium ions form a dynamic metallic layer on the collector during charging, reducing weight and increasing energy density to 200 Wh/kg (compared to 160 Wh/kg for Gen 1).
✅ Extreme performance: targets operation at -40°C and fast charging at 5°C.
✅ Scalability: uses existing production lines, reducing costs for electric vehicles and grid storage.
🌟 BYD's double breakthrough
🔋 Super cathode: Patented a highly stable cathode material (NaxMy(P1-wAwO4)z), using abundant metals like Fe/Mn instead of expensive cobalt/nickel. Increases cycle life and safety.
💧 Smart Electrolyte: Surfactants added to the electrolyte, optimizing pore wetting in the anodes. Result: 61% lower cost than lead-acid and 8-year lifespan in commercial vehicles.
🚀 Roadmap: Target of 180 Wh/kg (layered oxide) and 10,000 cycles (polyanion) by 2025.
💡 Why is it important?
Cost collapse: both aim to make sodium cheaper than lithium LFP. Resource independence: sodium avoids lithium scarcity (80% must be imported). Diverse applications: BYD's technology powers trucks/cars; CATL is suitable for electric vehicles and storage.
🚀 The big picture
CATL and BYD are racing to dominate the $30 billion sodium-ion market by 2030. CATL's anode-free design solves energy density gaps, while BYD's cathode/electrolyte innovations improve longevity. With CATL batteries arriving in cars in 2025 and BYD's 30 GWh project underway, sodium is no longer "alternative," it's mainstream.
BYD, the world's second-largest electric vehicle manufacturer, is ready to enter the sodium market.
In parallel, dozens of Chinese companies are experimenting with and launching sodium-powered battery and vehicle models, especially in the two-wheeler segment. A prime example is Yadea, China's largest electric scooter manufacturer, which has already marketed three sodium-powered scooter models and founded the Hangzhou Huayu Institute for New Energy Research, dedicated precisely to the development of this new chemistry.
These scooters, sold at affordable prices (between 400 and 660 dollars), are designed to run on sodium batteries that recharge quickly – from 0% to 80% in 15 minutes – and can be swapped in seconds at battery swap stations, a system increasingly widespread in China.
Yadea sodium-ion batteries for electric bikes
Fast charging to 80% in 10 minutes
Performance at -20°C (92% discharge retention)
Leading integration of sodium-ion batteries for two-wheel vehicles
Thanks to their efficiency and resistance even at extreme temperatures, sodium batteries represent an ideal solution for urban micro-mobility, especially in challenging climate contexts.
Sodium batteries are also finding application in grid energy storage, a key sector for integrating renewable sources. Chinese grid operators have begun building sodium-based energy storage stations, capable of storing energy produced by solar and wind and redistributing it stably and efficiently. According to many researchers, this will be the first area where the technology can establish itself on a large scale.
Naturally, there are also limits. Sodium batteries, while promising, have a lower energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries, making them for now less suitable for high-end or long-range electric vehicles. They are perfect for scooters, city cars, light vehicles, stationary storage devices and all applications where low cost and safety are priorities over energy density.
Ultra-high power sodium batteries from Xibei Power
100C discharge rate (the highest in the industry)
Anode-free SIB batteries at 230 Wh/kg (coming in 2026)
Used on buses and heavy machinery (e.g., Chongqing transit)
Highstar sodium ions for energy storage
Technology based on polyanions (NFPP) for network and telecommunications backup
Targeting data centers and industrial storage
Future prospects
2027-2030 : mass adoption of commercial electric vehicles, energy storage and micro-mobility
Costs will drop below $100/kWh, making SIBs the ideal choice for budget-conscious markets
Hybrid systems (SIB + lithium) could dominate mid-range electric vehicles
NFPP (polyanion) batteries low-cost, high-safety, long-cycle will gradually become the mainstream of lithium-ion batteries
The future of sodium batteries is not yet written, but if the world really bets on this new technology, China will almost certainly be leading the race.
