A Chinese electric vehicle with a sodium-ion battery completed a high-speed test on an icy track in northern China despite a tyre blowout. The demonstration highlighted the technology's performance in sub-zero conditions. Changan's Nevo AO6 model, equipped with a CATL battery, is set to reach the market later this year.
On 5 February, a black sedan from Changan reached 95 kilometres per hour on an icy track in northern China before suffering a tyre burst at -32°C. The vehicle came to a controlled stop without spinning, showing the stability of its sodium-ion battery pack.
CATL's latest sodium-ion battery achieves an energy density of 175 watt-hours per kilogram and retains 90 per cent capacity at -40°C. During a separate safety check, the battery continued operating after being cut in half.
Maria Crespo-Ribadeneyra of Queen Mary University of London described sodium-ion cells as the start of a broader shift away from lithium dominance. Moritz Schütte of Aachen University noted that production costs are falling rapidly with each generation.
Elliot Richards, an EV commentator based in Shanghai, called the battery the "lithium killer" for budget vehicles and cold-climate applications. A handful of sodium-ion storage projects already operate in China, Germany and the United States.