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

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.

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.