New sodium-ion battery for commercial electric vehicles charges faster and offers LFP energy density
HiNa, one of the sodium-ion battery manufacturers whose cells are already powering electric vehicles, has announced its newest generation of Na-ion batteries.
The so-called Haixing cells target commercial fleets of electric vehicles and are available in several battery pack versions dubbed the K150, K210, K280, and K350, presumably based on their capacities.
As can be expected, the K150 and K210 sodium-ion batteries are meant for electric vehicles that have to cover relatively short distances, while the higher numbers are for EVs that go on longer logistics trips.
HiNa already supplies sodium-ion batteries for compact electric cars, like the Jiwei 3 made by JAC, one of Volkswagen's EV joint ventures in China. The Na-ion pack in the Jiwei 3 offers smallish 23 kWh capacity, hence a range of only about 230 km on the local CLTC cycle.
HiNa sodium-ion battery energy density
The battery in the Jiwei 3 is made with HiNa's previous generation of cylindrical 32140 sodium-ion cells that come with an energy density of 140 Wh/kg.
Its new Na-ion batteries, however, have 165 Wh/kg energy density, putting them on par with LFP cells that are in everything from 145 W Ugreen powerbanks, to mass market EVs.
For comparison, the base RWD Tesla Model 3 that was deprecated in the US market because its CATL batteries made it ineligible for the federal tax credit, carries cells with 125 Wh/kg energy density.
This is why the new HiNa Haixing sodium-ion battery for commercial electric vehicles might become a significant milestone when it comes to popularizing the Na-ion cell technology.
Costs and charging speed
HiNa says that its sodium-ion batteries are 30-40% cheaper to produce than lithium-based batteries. Moreover, the newest Haixing Na-ion cells can charge very quickly, with a full charge achieved in less than 25 minutes.
They also maintain stable discharge rate at temperatures ranging from -40°C to 45°C (-40°F to 113°F), while the packs can be fast-charged all the time and still offer good capacity retention after 8,000 cycles, tips HiNa.
The battery company has a GWh-level factory and says that it is ready to provide "greater output at significantly lower costs," which will be an important differentiator given its new sodium-ion battery's target category of commercial EV fleets.
