Chinese firm achieves 11-minute full charge milestone with sodium-ion tech

Chinese automotive giant BAIC Group has developed a sodium-ion battery prototype that achieves an energy density of about 170 Wh/kg and supports ultra-fast 4C charging, enabling a full charge in approximately 11 minutes. The prismatic cell design also demonstrates strong performance across a wide temperature range (-40°F to 140°F), retaining over 92% capacity at around -4°F, which highlights its suitability for cold-weather conditions. BAIC’s internal safety tests showed the battery remains stable without fire or explosion even when overcharged to 200% state of charge and maintains structural integrity under thermal abuse at about 392°F. BAIC has built comprehensive in-house capabilities covering electrolyte development, cell architecture, and system integration, and is addressing challenges related to energy density and cycle life. The company is integrating sodium-ion technology into its broader “Aurora Battery” platform, which includes lithium-ion and solid-state chemistries, and has completed process validation for mass production of prismatic sodium-ion cells. Sodium