CATL expects to begin deploying sodium-ion batteries in passenger vehicles as early as the second quarter, marking a significant step toward large-scale commercial adoption of the technology, the company’s chief technology officer said.
“The first passenger vehicle equipped with sodium-ion batteries will come from GAC Aion,” CATL CTO Gao Huan told China Securities Journal in an interview published on Thursday. “As production capacity expands, sodium-ion batteries will gradually scale up for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, energy storage, and even construction machinery.”
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CATL, formally known as Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, earlier on Thursday unveiled its Tectrans II battery series for light commercial vehicles, including a 45-kilowatt-hour sodium-ion battery pack. The company said the pack can be charged at temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius and retains about 90% of usable capacity at minus 40 degrees.
While CATL did not announce a deployment timetable at the launch event, China Securities Journal reported that mass production of the sodium-ion batteries is expected to begin in July, with versions designed for both plug-in charging and battery swapping. The batteries have already completed winter testing in light trucks and mid-size vans produced by Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp, also known as JAC, the report said.
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Gao said sodium-ion batteries offer strong high-power discharge performance, with temperature increases of no more than 5 degrees Celsius at a 5C charging rate, reducing the need for complex cooling systems. “This allows for a more streamlined thermal management system,” he said, adding that progress toward mass production reflects improvements in low-temperature performance.
CATL aims to bring sodium-ion battery energy density to levels comparable with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries within three years, while further reducing costs. The company is currently developing its third-generation sodium battery, Gao said.
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Sodium-ion technology has drawn growing attention in China as an alternative to lithium-based chemistries. CATL first unveiled a sodium-ion battery in 2021 and in April 2025 launched its Naxtra sodium battery brand, under which it said passenger vehicle batteries can reach energy densities of up to 175 watt-hours per kilogram.