The first EV with a lithium-free sodium battery hits the road in January

JAC Motors, a Volkswagen-backed Chinese automaker, is set to launch the first mass-produced electric vehicle (EV) with a sodium-ion battery through its new Yiwei brand. Although sodium-ion battery tech has a lower density (and is less mature) than lithium-ion, its lower costs, more abundant supplies and superior cold-weather performance could help accelerate mass EV adoption. CarNewsChina reports that the JAC Yiwei EV hatchback deliveries will begin in January.

Yiwei is a new brand in 2023 for JAC. Volkswagen has a 75 percent stake in (and management control of) JAC and owns 50 percent of JAC’s parent company, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Holdings (JAG). The Chinese government owns the other half of JAG, making for one of the auto industry’s stranger pairings.

The Sehol E10X, revealed earlier this year. The yellow hatchback sits in a city parking lot with parked cars and buildings behind it.
The Sehol E10X, which the new Yiwei EV appears to be a rebranded version of.
JAC via CarNewsChina

The Yiwei EV appears to be a rebranded version of the Sehol E10X hatchback (above), announced earlier this year. CarNewsChina describes the Sehol model as having a 252 km (157 miles) range with a 25 kWh capacity, 120 Wh / kg energy density, 3C to 4C charging, and a HiNa NaCR32140 cell. When JAC revealed the Yiwei brand in May, it said it would drop the Sehol label and rebrand all its vehicles to either JAC or Yiwei, leading us to this week’s EV reveal. JAC hasn’t yet said whether the Yiwei-branded model will keep the E10X moniker.

In April, JAC showcased a separate EV called the Yiwei 3 at the Shanghai Auto Show. That model launched in June with an LFP lithium battery, promising the sodium-ion variant would launch later.

A
JAC via CarNewsChina

The new Yiwei EV reportedly uses cylindrical sodium-ion cells from HiNA Battery. JAC assembles the batteries in the company’s modular UE (Unitized Encapsulation) honeycomb structure, similar to CATL’s CTP (cell-to-pack) and BYD’s Blade. The layout can provide for greater stability and performance.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-first-ev-with-a-lithium-free-sodium-battery-hits-the-road-in-january-214828536.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/the-first-ev-with-a-lithium-free-sodium-battery-hits-the-road-in-january-214828536.html?src=rss
Erstellt 2y | 27.12.2023, 22:50:36


Melden Sie sich an, um einen Kommentar hinzuzufügen

Andere Beiträge in dieser Gruppe

The first known AI wrongful death lawsuit accuses OpenAI of enabling a teen's suicide

On Tuesday, the first known wrongful death lawsuit against an AI company was filed. Matt and Maria Raine, the parents of a teen who committed suicide this year, have sued OpenAI for their son's dea

26.08.2025, 22:10:22 | Engadget
KPop Demon Hunters is Netflix's most-watched movie of all time

Huntr/x has indeed shown us how it's done-done-done. KPop Demon Hunters is now the queen it was meant to be, taking the crown as the most-watched title on Netflix. The charming animated fi

26.08.2025, 22:10:17 | Engadget
Dyson's Labor Day sale includes the 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum for $500 off

Dyson is holding a Labor Day sale right now, with discounts

26.08.2025, 19:41:10 | Engadget
German court rules Apple cannot call its smartwatch 'carbon neutral'

Apple has made some pretty big environmental claims over the years, and one of the more eyebrow-raising ones was that select models of its Apple Watch Series 9 were "carbon neutral." The statement

26.08.2025, 19:41:06 | Engadget
Whistleblower claims DOGE uploaded Social Security data to unsecure cloud server

The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) chief data officer, Charles Borges, has filed a whistleblower com

26.08.2025, 19:41:02 | Engadget