BYD Failed To Launch The First Sodium-Ion Battery EV
Jan 16, 2024 7:00 am
BYD Failed To Launch The First Sodium-Ion Battery EV And Lost To Another Chinese Brand
4 min read
PRICE and SAFETY: two prominent barriers to EV adoption. But one Chinese car manufacturer is aiming to eliminate these with its latest new EV. And how will this EV lower those barriers? By using a sodium battery in place of a lithium battery.
BYD (Build Your Dreams) is a high-tech Chinese company devoted to leveraging technological innovations for a better future. The has an electric subsidiary called BYD Auto, which specialises in making battery-electric vehicles. The company recently surpassed Tesla as the largest EV company in the world, selling 1.6 million battery EVs and 1.4 million plug-in hybrid EVs for a total of about 3 million EVs, according to Reuters. This was a 62% increase from the previous year, and sales are still expected to increase in 2024 as well.
But the potentially the biggest breakthrough BYD could make is the success of their sodium-ion battery for EVs. BYD has partnered with Chinese battery giant CATL to make these batteries and they have already begun mass production. The sodium-ion battery is destined for the BYD Seagull, which is estimated to cost $9 000 (R164 679,75 at the time of writing). This trumps Tesla’s initial goal in September 2020 to make a $25 000 (R457 443,75) EV.
Benefits of the sodium battery:
- Sodium, being found in salt, is 1 000 times more abundant than lithium. This takes away the scarcity aspect of making batteries which means that we’ll be able to manufacture more EVs and more batteries for those EVs.
- Sodium is easier to extract and process than lithium.
- Sourcing sodium is more environmentally sustainable than mining lithium.
- Sodium batteries can be charged faster than all kinds of lithium batteries.
- Sodium batteries are more resistant to cold temperatures. They retain 90% of their capacity to temperatures reaching -20⁰C.
For a full article on how the sodium-ion battery could replace the lithium-ion battery, read my article here.
In recent years Tesla and other EV manufacturers have moved to using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, as they are cheaper, more reliable, and safer than traditional lithium-ion batteries. CATL quotes up to 160Wh/kg for its first-generation sodium-ion battery, whereas the first generation LFP batteries reached 125Wh/kg. This battery was used in the Tesla Model 3 which had a range of 350 km. With a higher energy density, the sodium-ion battery is set to provide more range for its EVs. Current LFP batteries have an energy density of 160Wh/kg, while CATL aims to bring the next generation of sodium-ion batteries up to 200Wh/kg.
The Seagull was launched on the 26th of April 2023 and sold 280 217 units from launch date to the end of December. At one point, the car accounted for 18% of BYD’s total sales and was their best-selling vehicle. Although BYD did earmark the Seagull as its first car to be powered by a sodium-ion battery, it unfortunately didn’t turn out that way. Although it is unclear what has caused the delay, it is estimated that BYD and CATL have run into technological issues regarding the battery, supply chain issues as well as issues with setting up mass production of the sodium-ion battery.
This month, BYD opened a plant dedicated to manufacturing sodium-ion batteries together with CATL. This should allow them to be able to mass produce the sodium-ion batteries, however, it is speculated that the first BYD car to receive these batteries might not be the Seagull. If this sodium-ion battery trial proves to be successful, BYD will implement this in all its EVs, starting with the lower-end models such as the Qin and Dolphin.
Although BYD is getting recognition for their sodium battery efforts, the first auto manufacturer to use the sodium-ion battery in a car was Chinese carmaker, Sehol. They installed the batteries in a small city car called the E10X, for test purposes. The car packed a 120Wh/kg 25 kWh sodium-ion battery which could charge up to 80% in 15 minutes, giving the E10X a range of 250 km. The test also proved 2 000 to 3 000 charging cycles for the battery, resulting in a lifetime of 625 000 km. This is impressive for an EV priced at only $6 800 (R124 424,70). When mass produced, up to 40% of battery cost could be reduced.
Due to BYD’s failure to launch their sodium-ion battery EV, they were beaten to the feat by fellow Chinese carmaker JAC. On Wednesday 27 December 2023, JAC rolled their Yiwei EV, fully powered by a sodium-ion battery. Interestingly, Sehol is owned by JAC, and in May 2023, JAC decided to rebrand Sehol as Yiwei including all of Sehol’s vehicles. The Yiwei EV, is simply a mass produced Sehol E10X with some improvements of course.
What do you think of BYD’s sodium battery EV failure? Do you think that it will eventually replace the lithium-ion battery? Share your thoughts by replying to this email.
For more information on sodium-ion battery EVs, or any other renewable energy related articles, view the other blog posts on my website and be sure to open my weekly emails every Tuesday at 9AM CAT. Please also share this newsletter with your friends and collogues working in the renewable energy sector.
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