At an industry seminar held on December 22 to discuss technologies related to Na-ion batteries, Jiang Weijun, director of SVOLT Energy, disclosed that his company has built the first-generation prototype for Na-ion battery. The energy density of the prototype is 100Wh/kg.
Furthermore, SVOLT is currently developing the second-generation product. It is designed to have an energy density of 160Wh/kg and a cycle life of more than 2,000 charge/discharge cycles. The development of the second-generation product is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Looking at other battery technologies, the mainstream LFP batteries have an energy density of 140-160Wh/kg. As for ternary batteries, the Kirin battery from CATL reaches up to 255Wh/kg.
For the battery industry, 2023 may be the inaugural year for the mass production of Na-ion batteries. Many Chinese companies have announced that next year they will enter the industrial production phase for the development of Na-ion batteries. Examples include HiNa Battery, Transimage, Great Power, Farasis Energy, and Huayang Group New Energy.
At the start of December, Farasis revealed that samples of its Na-ion batteries have been sent to clients for qualification. Farasis claimed that its Na-ion batteries have significant advantages in terms of cost and performance. They can be even adopted for passenger vehicles belonging to the A0 class (i.e., the subcompact class).
Farasis further stated that its Na-ion batteries will enter the industrial production phase next year. Many manufacturers for passenger vehicles and two-wheeled vehicles have already expressed interest in this solution and begun more in-depth collaborations with the company. Farasis aims to have its Na-ion batteries ready to meet the demand related to A-class passenger vehicles in 2024.
Earlier this year, there were reports stating that BYD might be the first car manufacturer to adopt Na-ion battery for BEVs. The car manufacturer is currently road-testing a pure electric micro-car called Seagull, and this model is rumored to come in two versions that are respectively powered by Li-ion and Na-ion batteries. The Seagull is expected to hit the market in the second quarter of next year, but BYD has not confirmed nor denied if there will be a version with Na-ion batteries.
This article is a translation of a Chinese article posted by TrendForce. It contains information that is either sourced from other news outlets or accessible in the public domain. Some Chinese names are transcribed into English using Hanyu Pinyin.