World’s first electric vehicle with a lithium-free sodium battery to launch soon
JAC Motors will launch World’s first electric vehicle(EV) with a lithium-free sodium batter soon. The deliveries will begin in January.
World’s first electric vehicle(EV) with a lithium-free sodium battery is all set to launch in China. The sodium-ion battery EV will be launched by Chinese automaker JAC Motors, a Volkswagen-backed, under its new Yiwei brand, revealed in May. The JAC will reportedly commence the deliveries of Yiwei EV hatchback in January.
The new Yiwei EV is said to be a rebranded version of the recently launched Sehol E10X hatchback. The EV draws power from cylindrical sodium-ion cells from HiNA Battery. According to the report, the hatchback is offered with a 25 kWh capacity that can produce a range of 252 km. It supports 120 Wh / kg energy density, 3C to 4C charging. It features a HiNa NaCR32140 cell.
The Yiwei EV’s sodium-ion cells HiNA Battery is assembled in the company’s modular UE (Unitized Encapsulation) honeycomb structure, which is similar to CATL’s CTP (cell-to-pack) and BYD’s Blade. This honeycomb structure is said to offer greater stability and performance.
The low-cost sodium-ion battery tech is expected to appeal to customers than lithium-ion as it has more abundant supplies and offers superior cold-weather performance.
Moreover, JAC Motors is reportedly planning to rebrand all the Sehol label vehicles to either JAC or Yiwei. However, it is uncertain whether the Yiwei-branded model will have the E10X moniker.
In April, another Yiwei 3 EV was showcased by JAC at the Shanghai Auto Show. Later it was launched with an LFP lithium battery in June. At the event, the company announced to launch a sodium-ion variant later.
Volkswagen has a 75 percent stake in JAC. Moreover, it owns 50 percent of JAC’s parent company, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Holdings (JAG). Meanwhile, the other 50 percent shares are owned by the Chinese government.
Ms Kalinga