A black sedan recently sped down a frozen test track in northern China at 95 kilometers per hour. When one of its tires deliberately burst, the vehicle safely coasted to a stop in the -32°C air. This dramatic demonstration was designed by the automaker Changan to prove that extreme winter conditions are no obstacle for its new Nevo AO6 model—the world's first mass-produced electric vehicle (EV) powered by a sodium-ion battery.
Developed by the energy storage giant CATL, this new generation of batteries could signal a major shift in how we power our world. While most rechargeable batteries currently rely on lithium, a critical and expensive mineral, sodium-ion batteries are made from common salt. Because sodium is abundant and cheap, these batteries could significantly reduce the cost of energy storage and electric cars.
However, the technology does face challenges. Sodium is three times heavier than lithium, meaning sodium-ion batteries weigh more than their lithium counterparts of the same capacity. For years, scientists believed their use would be restricted to stationary power grids, where weight is not an issue, or to micro-EVs with very short ranges.
In recent years, sodium-ion grid storage facilities have already begun operating in China, Germany, and the United States. For instance, General Motors recently partnered with startup Peak Energy to expand grid projects, while other companies are selling sodium-ion batteries to data centers and installing them in homes in the UK.
Now, rapid technological improvements are allowing sodium-ion batteries to break into the main EV market. A study by researchers at Aachen University in Germany found that a sodium-ion battery from manufacturer Hina could rival Tesla's lithium-ion batteries in performance, despite being one-third heavier. Furthermore, CATL claims its latest sodium-ion battery achieves an energy density of 175 watt-hours per kilogram, making it competitive with the low-cost lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries used in entry-level Tesla models.
Beyond cost, sodium offers critical environmental and safety advantages. Lithium processing is highly energy-intensive and has a massive carbon footprint. Additionally, the supply chain is heavily dominated by China, raising geopolitical concerns. In contrast, sodium is environmentally friendlier and more widely available. Sodium batteries also perform much better in extreme temperatures. Unlike lithium batteries, which lose power in the cold and can catch fire in the heat, sodium batteries retain 90% of their capacity at -40°C and are highly stable. During testing, a CATL battery was sawed in half without catching fire, continuing to power a lightbulb.
While premium, high-range electric vehicles will likely continue to use lithium, experts believe sodium-ion batteries could dominate budget models, vehicles in extreme climates, cargo transport, and household or grid energy storage. As production scales up and costs continue to fall, this salt-based technology is poised to shake up the global energy landscape.