CATL launches new sodium-ion battery brand

SHANGHAI: China's CATL launched today a new brand for its sodium-ion batteries, Naxtra, which it said would go into mass production in December, and a second generation of its fast-charging battery for electric cars.

CATL became the first major automotive battery maker to launch a sodium-ion battery in 2021. Unlike other battery materials, sodium is cheap and abundant, and the chemistry has the potential to reduce fire risks in EVs, experts have said.

The first production under the Naxtra brand will be of a new sodium-ion battery with an energy density of 175 watt-hours per kilogram, nearly equivalent to the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries popularly used in electric vehicles and grid energy storage systems.

CATL's billionaire founder Robin Zeng, who aims to reinvent the company as a green-energy provider and to slash the cost of developing electric vehicles, has said he sees sodium-ion batteries potentially replacing up to half of the market for LFP batteries that CATL now dominates.

Besides Naxtra, CATL also launched the second generation of its Shenxing fast-charging battery, which it said can enable a 520km driving range with a five-minute charge, and can reach 80% charging from 0% in 15 minutes in cold weather.

More than 67 new electric vehicle models will be powered by the Shenxing battery this year, said CATL's chief technology officer Gao Huan at an event here, without specifying how many would be equipped with the first or second generation version.

CATL also launched a new system to pair battery packs together, similar to the two-engine system on passenger jets, which the company said would improve EV safety.

Last month, CATL reported 15% growth in 2024 net profit, the slowest pace in six years, as a prolonged price war in China's electric vehicle market put pressure on the Chinese EV battery giant.