The global roll‑out of sodium‑ion battery technology is gathering strong momentum. CATL has sealed a 2 GWh sodium‑ion energy‑storage cooperation deal with Eastern European renewable‑energy player Solarpro. Both parties plan to build Central and Eastern Europe’s first large‑scale sodium‑ion energy‑storage project within this calendar year.

Sodium-ion batteries feature abundant raw materials, superior low-temperature performance and high safety. Clear cost reduction paths make sodium ESS ideal for grid storage, off-grid power, electric tractors and low-speed EVs. New sodium cathode material standards unify industry technical specifications to boost global supply chain cooperation.

June 18, 2026 — Two-wheeler mobility has officially stepped into the sodium-ion era. On June 12, 2026, Yadea unveiled its flagship electric two-wheeler model Guanneng White Shark II at the South China Exhibition, bringing its independently developed Aurora Sodium-ion Battery full technical solution to the public. This landmark move marks the official large-scale commercialization of sodium-ion batteries in the global electric two-wheeler industry, shifting from conceptual research to mass production application.

On April 7, the research team led by Hu Yongsheng from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), published a groundbreaking achievement in Nature Energy: they successfully developed a polymerizable non-flammable electrolyte (PNE) with self-protective functionality, achieving the world's first complete blockage of thermal runaway in ampere-hour-level sodium-ion batteries. This breakthrough means the "safety curse" that has plagued the commercialization of sodium batteries for years has been completely broken.

China continues to accelerate its development of next-generation electric vehicle batteries, aiming to deliver more efficient, safer, and cost-effective solutions. Following a recent major advancement, sodium-ion batteries for passenger vehicles are now approaching mass production.

On February 5, Changan Automobile unveiled the world's first mass-produced sodium-ion electric vehicle at the "Tianshu Intelligent Safety Technology and Sodium Battery Strategy Global Launch" event. This marks Changan’s pioneering integration of CATL’s latest sodium-ion battery technology, with the production model expected to hit the market mid-year. Changan also announced that its brands—Avatr, Deepal, Qiyuan, and Yili—will all adopt CATL’s sodium-ion batteries in the future.

The lithium-ion battery market is feeling the heat. Early in 2026, lithium carbonate futures contracts surged dramatically, breaking through the 150,000, 160,000, and 170,000 yuan per ton thresholds, even touching a high of 179,000 yuan per ton. This sharp rise in upstream lithium prices is sending ripples through the entire new energy industry, significantly increasing the cost of lithium-ion batteries.