Fast Technology reported on April 20 that, according to 36 krypton reports, Ningde Era will begin supplying sodium-ion batteries in cars in batches in the fourth quarter of this year.

According to the report, people familiar with the matter revealed that sodium-ion batteries in the Ningde era will be used in the first new car of Chery's new energy brand iCar,”Adopt a mixing scheme for sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries”, and the car is expected to go on sale in the fourth quarter of this year. In addition, sodium-ion batteries from the Ningde era will also be mass-produced on Chery's new energy cars, such as QQ ice cream and little ants.

According to the Ningde Times official, the company pioneered a battery pack integration technology: arranging two different batteries in a single battery pack, either iron-lithium+ternary or a lithium battery+sodium battery, known as”AB battery system solution”, there are already mass production examples of this technical solution: the 75kWh lithium iron battery pack used by NIO is a mixture of lithium iron phosphate batteries and a small number of ternary lithium batteries.

At an industry forum last year, Huang Qisen, deputy director of the Ningde Times Research Institute, said that the Ningde Era can improve the energy density of battery systems by integrating AB battery systems to achieve sodium-lithium mixing technology.The application of sodium-ion batteries is expected to expand to models with a range of 500 kilometers.

As another power battery giant, BYD also has plans for sodium-ion batteries. The same report said that itsSodium-ion batteries will also be mass-produced in the second half of the year. The model to be carried is a marine biology seagullIt will also take the lead in adopting a solution for mixing sodium-ion and iron-lithium batteries.

It is worth noting that in November of last year, there were reports that BYD Seagull would be the first to use sodium-ion batteries.However, after that, BYD denied itIt has been reported again this time, and I don't know if BYD will continue to respond.

The reason why sodium-ion batteries are attracting attention is that they mainly have the following advantages, such asAbundant reserves and low pricesAccording to data, the abundance of sodium in the earth's crust is as high as 2.75%, and it is distributed all over the world, and the amount of resources in China is not low. Therefore, the cost of sodium ore resources is extremely low. It only costs 2 yuan/kg, while currently mainstream lithium ore is expensive. It reached a peak of 600,000 yuan/ton last year. Although there has been a recent decline, it is also around 200,000 yuan/ton.

Another example is sodium separationThe sub-battery system is stable and safe, and is more resistant to low temperaturesThe first generation of sodium-ion batteries in the Ningde era was charged at room temperature for 15 minutes, and the battery capacity could reach 80%, while in an environment with a low temperature of minus 20°C, they still had a discharge retention rate of over 90%.

Moreover, after years of research and development, the disadvantages of low energy density of sodium-ion batteries have also been improved. The first generation of the Ningde eraThe energy density of a single sodium ion battery cell reaches 160 Wh/kgIt is comparable to the current mainstream lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Of course, sodium-ion batteries are not without drawbacks; the biggest drawback isShort cycle lifeTherefore, it is not suitable for use on high-end models; it is more suitable for two-wheeled, three-wheeled scooters and micro electric vehicles.