Sodium-ion batteries cheaper than lithium again as CATL starts mass Na battery rollout

The world's biggest battery maker CATL will be taking advantage of the rising lithium prices and will start mass sodium-ion battery production in 2026. Its record breaking Naxtra line of Na-ion batteries will be deployed in electric cars, energy storage systems, commercial vehicles, and even battery swap stations en masse.

The sharp drop in battery-grade lithium carbonate prices since the 2022 peak deprioritized CATL's sodium-ion battery production plans, despite that it had developed Na-ion cells that nearly matched the energy density of LFP batteries. The somewhat artificially induced dearth of lithium came as mines were shut down by the Chinese government that froze their operational licenses, which helped the price start recovering.

The end of the bear market for lithium has apparently made CATL pull the mass production plans of its Naxtra sodium-ion battery line forward. Since Na-ion cells have again become cheaper to make than standard lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) ones, clients have started notifying CATL that they are now ready to take delivery.

The Naxtra sodium-ion battery offers record high energy density for mass produced Na packs. Its 175 Wh/kg is almost on par with the LFP batteries that are in most electric vehicles, as well as energy storage systems. There are now even Na starter batteries avialable on Amazon that don't lose their capacity in cold weather as fast as regular 12V car batteries.

This is precisely the selling point made about the Naxtra sodium-ion battery line that is about to "shine brightly" together with lithium packs as soon as next year, according to CATL. Its capacity retention temperature range is the impressive -40℃ to 70℃ and Naxtra has become the world's first commercial grade sodium-ion battery to ace China's new stringent battery safety and performance standard, too.

CATL says that an electric car equipped with its sodium-ion battery will be able to cover more than 300 miles of range on a charge even in extreme cold and that claim is about to be put to the test in 2026 when its first Naxtra packs will be delivered to a multitude of clients it is yet to disclose.