[CATL's Wu Kai: Sodium-ion mass production this year, lithium-air next]

Published: May 31, 2026 12:50

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Wu Kai, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and chief scientist of CATL, said at the 2026 Equipment Power Forum that the company will achieve mass production of a series of sodium-ion battery products this year. Compared with lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries have abundant raw material resources and lower costs. Looking ahead, lithium-air batteries will be CATL's future direction. Wu Kai explained that lithium-air batteries use lithium as the negative electrode and oxygen from the air as the positive electrode reactant, offering ultra-high theoretical energy density and representing the next global battleground for next-generation batteries.

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