Making a battery is “simple” and studying its chemistry is also “simple”, however, what is not so simple is making all this technology, with years of studies, cheap.
What I’m telling you today is probably the advance that many experts consider historic for the manufacturing industry. electric mobility. The sodium batteries have officially entered full-scale production.
Changan Auto has successfully completed the initial validation phase of its vehicles and is now moving towards commercial deployment in its passenger models. This movement not only represents a technical milestone, but also positions sodium chemistry as a real and competitive alternative to the traditional dominance of sodium. lithium.
A smart change in base materials
One of the most interesting aspects of this new technology lies in its design. Engineers have chosen to use current collectors made of double aluminum sheets, replacing the copper usually used in lithium batteries. This substitution significantly reduces direct material costs, since aluminum is more abundant and cheaper.
Manufacturers are also accelerating the introduction of polyanion cathodes. These compounds help optimize the long-term stability of the packages, improving their durability and behavior under different conditions of use.
Economic advantages that are beginning to be palpable
The latest manufacturing data shows notable cost progress. During the first quarter of 2026, the production price of sodium cells moved between 0.35 and 0.40 yuan per watt-hour. At the current exchange rate, this is approximately equivalent to 0.045 euros per watt-hour.
To put it in perspective, a medium-sized battery, about 60 kWh – usual capacity in many electric vehicles – would be around 2,700 euros. This figure is already dangerously close to that of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which currently stand at around 0.34 yuan per watt-hour. Industrial models indicate that, with improvements in production efficiency, sodium batteries will dominate the market before the end of 2027.
Superior performance in real conditions
Beyond the numbers, sodium batteries stand out for their behavior. They maintain more than 90% of its nominal capacity even when temperatures drop to -20°C, a scenario where LFP batteries typically lose more than 20% of their performance. Tests confirm excellent performance even at -40°Cwhich makes them especially attractive for markets with harsh and long winters.
In the safety section, sodium chemistry offers a clear advantage and that is that its thermal runaway threshold exceeds 200°C. This provides much greater fire protection in the event of a short circuit or failure.
Differentiated strategies by market segment
Changan Auto leads the access segment, integrating cell packs developed by CATL with an energy density of 175Wh/kg. These systems allow reaching standard autonomy of around 400 kilometers.
For its part, BYD focuses its efforts on micromobility and low-speed logistics platforms. The company is developing its third generation of sodium batteries with a view to achieving an impressive 10,000 life cycles.
Hina Battery has already delivered 200 trucks equipped with their cells, capable of completing a full recharge in just 25 minutes.
