Another Tesla Miss: Sodium-Ion Batteries (And Battery Swapping)

The article discusses the emerging prominence of sodium-ion batteries in the electric vehicle (EV) market, highlighting how Tesla has fallen behind in this area despite its early leadership in EV innovation. Sodium-ion batteries, while heavier than lithium-ion counterparts, offer advantages such as a less costly supply chain, longer range, faster charging, and superior cold-weather performance. Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has pioneered this technology, supplying sodium-ion batteries to automaker CHANGAN Automobile, which plans to mass-produce EVs featuring CATL’s Naxtra sodium-ion batteries later this year. CHANGAN emphasizes the batteries’ safety, reliability, and environmental benefits, including abundant raw materials and improved recycling. CHANGAN projects that sodium-ion battery ranges will soon reach 500–600 km for pure electric vehicles and 300–400 km for range-extended or hybrid models, potentially covering over half of the new energy vehicle market’s range requirements. The article also notes a renewed interest in range-extended EVs, which