Serious doubt about the future of the US auto industry if nothing changes in Washington, soon.
The battery world wasn’t bullish about sodium-ion EV batteries until top Chinese battery companies went all in on the tech. Why bother with a new chemistry when lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) are already powering millions of EVs, are constantly improving, and are widely available?
On Monday, the world’s largest lithium-ion battery maker unveiled a new brand called Naxtra, dedicated to producing both low- and high-voltage sodium-ion batteries. These will power everything from light-duty EVs to commercial trucks in China. And CATL isn’t making modest claims. It says its sodium-ion batteries will charge at near full speeds in temperatures as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s cold enough to where Fahrenheit and Celsius are the samenumber.
According to the American Physics Society, sodium is 1,000 times more abundant than lithium and its environmental impact is far lower. Until now, it’s lagged behind in energy density, and lithium still enjoys a head start thanks to a mature extraction and supply chain. Still, different chemistries suit different use cases and sodium-ion may be a good fit for compact EVs, hybrids and extreme cold. Due to its inherent temperature-resistant properties, the ions move freely even in Arctic temperatures.
CATL’s high-voltage sodium-ion battery gets an energy density of 175 watt-hours per kilogram. That’s below the 200–300 Wh/kg range typical of lithium-ion batteries, but it’s enough to deliver 124 miles (200 km) of electric range in a PHEV and up to 310 miles (500 km) in a pure EV. Those estimates come from China’s testing cycle, which is usually pretty generous with range. But those are decent numbers for city cars and micro-EVs gaining popularity around the world.
Plus, CATL’s sodium-ion EV battery can charge from 30% to 80% in 30 minutes even in -22F (-30C) temps, while maintaining 93% usable capacity. Typical EV batteries have reduced voltage at a lower state of charge, but CATL claims its battery can maintain 75 miles per hour even if 0% charges shows on the dash. That is, until the battery completely drains out.
At this point, the “millions of kilometers” is a meaningless metric in terms of EV batteries, since it is unlikely the rest of the vehicle would last that long. Instead, it’s more a marker of the second life of a battery used in other applications.
Exactly which car models are using NMC battery chemistry?? To the best of my knowledge the answer is “none at all”.
Early Teslas (like the Roadster) used a variety of chemistries that they have since dropped: https://www.findmyelectric.com/blog/what-kind-of-battery-does-my-tesla-have
The Model 3 started out with the same 1865 NCA battery packs as the Model S / Model S. Later iterations (and manufacturers other than Panasonic) have given the Model 3 2170 style NCA batteries (present on most Performance and Long Range Model 3s prior to 2023) and 2710 Nickel-Cobalt-Magnesium (NCM) batteries (used for Telsas manufactured in China and Berlin).