China's Top EV Battery Maker CATL Launched New Sodium-ion Batteries Today

SHANGHAI, Jul 29 (SMM) - CATL, the China's top EV battery maker, hosted a roadshow to launch new sodium-ion batteries on 29/07/2021.

At the roadshow, CATL said currently the specific capacity of Prussian white and layered oxide sodium-ion cathode materials can reaches 160mAh/g. CATL announced it solved the problem of fast capacity fading of the sodium-ion battery, which provides the opportunity for the sodium-ion battery to be industrialized. At the same time, CATL has developed a hard carbon material that enables the abundant storage and fast movement of sodium ions and features a unique porosity structure. The specific capacity of this hard carbon material can reach more than 350mAh/g, which is equivalent to current graphite in the lithium-ion battery.

CATL announced the first generation sodium-ion battery has been developed. The energy density of the sodium-ion battery cells has reached 160Wh/kg, which is the highest level in the world. 15 minutes charging can reach 80% SOC at room temperature. Furthermore, even in environment with below -20 degree Celsius, the discharge retention rate will still be above 90%.

Overall, although the first generation sodium-ion battery has slightly lower energy density than current LFP battery, it has better low temperature performance and fast charging speed. CATL also can integrate sodium-ion and lithium-ion battery into the same battery package in order to get better performance. CATL expects the energy intensity of the next generation of sodium-ion can reach 200Wh/kg in the future. CATL plans to release the first sodium-ion battery to the market in 2023.