CATL debuts sodium‑ion batteries, 350 km

Sodium-ion batteries are finally becoming car batteries, not just a promising lab project. That matters because EV makers have been hunting for a chemistry that uses cheaper, more abundant materials without giving up too much range. The gap has always been energy density — sodium is easier to source than lithium, but it usually stores less energy for the same weight. CATL’s latest move is important because it turns that tradeoff into an actual product roadmap, with Changan set to bring the first mass-production sodium-ion passenger vehicle to market in mid-2026. (catl.com) ### What actually launched? The headline event was CATL and Changan’s February 5, 2026 unveiling of what they called the world’s first mass-production passenger vehicle using sodium-ion batteries. The battery is CATL’s Naxtra pack, and Changan says the first car reaches the market by mid-2026. This is not just a concept reveal — CATL also says it will supply sodium-ion packs (catl.com)n, and UNI. (catl.com) ### Why is sodium-ion a big deal? The appeal is pretty simple. Sodium is abundant, widely distributed, and less geopolitically tight than lithium. That gives battery makers a second chemistry to scale, instead of forcing every EV into the same lithium supply chain. CATL is openly framing this as a “dual-chemistry” future — lithium-ion for some jobs, sodium-ion for others. (c([catl.com)## So what’s the performance catch? Range is where sodium has usually stumbled. CATL says Naxtra reaches up to 175 Wh/kg, which it calls the current mass-production benchmark for sodium-ion, and enables more than 400 km of pure-electric range in the first passenger-car setup. That is real progress, but it still trails the best lithium packs on sheer energy density. Basically(catl.com)eries tomorrow. It is becoming good enough for a large chunk of the market. (catl.com) ### Where does it beat lithium? Cold weather is the clearest advantage. CATL says Naxtra delivers nearly triple the discharge power of comparable LFP batteries at -30 °C, retains more than 90% of capacity at -40 °C, and still works at -50 °C. That makes sodium unusually attractive for northern China, commercial fleets, and any market where winter performance can wreck an EV’s usefulness. (catl.com) ### What about safety? Safety is the other selling point. CATL says Naxtra was the first sodium-ion battery to pass China’s GB 38031-2025 traction-battery safety certification in September 2025, ahead of the standard taking effect on July 1, 2026. In CATL’s description, the pack stayed smoke- and fire-free in tests including crushing, drilling, and sawing. You should read tho(catl.com) with why automakers are interested — safer chemistry makes packaging, regulation, and consumer trust easier. (catl.com) ### Why now? Because CATL thinks lithium iron phosphate is getting close to its practical ceiling on energy density. That does not mean lithium is done. It means the easy gains are fading, so alternative chemistries start to look more useful. CATL used its April 21, 2026 Super Technology Day to make exactly that case — not one winner, but multiple battery chemistries tuned for different jobs. (catl.com) ### Who is this really for? Not luxury EV buyers chasing 800 km range. This is for mainstream cars, hybrids, battery-swap fleets, trucks, and energy storage. CATL has already said sodium deployment in 2026 targets passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, battery swapping, and grid storage. That breadth is the real signal — the company is treating sodium as an industrial platform, not a science project. (newatlas.com) ### Bottom line? CATL has not made lithium obsolete. But it has done something more practical — it has made sodium-ion credible. If the first Changan rollout lands on schedule in mid-2026, EV batteries stop being a one-chemistry story. (catl.com)