In 2026, sodium batteries will officially "get on the bus"! On February 5, Changan Automobile and CATL jointly announced that the world's first mass-produced passenger car equipped with sodium-ion batteries will be launched in the middle of this year.

CATL is the only battery partner of Changan's sodium battery strategy, and the two sides are deeply bound, aiming at the key inflection point of sodium battery commercialization in 2026.

This means that sodium batteries are no longer a technical concept in the laboratory, but have truly entered the mainstream market and begun to compete head-on with traditional lithium batteries.

It is understood that CATL's ambitions are more than that - it hopes that sodium batteries can be "on an equal footing" with the current mainstream lithium iron phosphate batteries in the future and become one of the core choices for new energy vehicles.

Why is 2026 so important?

Because from this year onwards, every sodium tram sold is to grab market share of lithium batteries and redefine what is safer, more sustainable, and less resource-free "energy freedom". This also marks that the competition for new energy vehicles has entered a new stage: no longer only about battery life or fast charging, but about fighting for full-temperature performance (such as not losing power in winter), supply chain stability, and whether raw materials are independent and controllable - a real "midfield battle" has begun.

Changan + CATL: Sodium battery "family bucket" is coming!

In the business world, the word "sole partner" carries a lot of weight – it means that both parties are on the same page about the future.

This time, Changan Automobile clearly chose CATL as the only battery partner for its sodium power strategy, sending a strong signal: in 2026, sodium batteries will really come into play. Changan is not a small player - the sales of new energy vehicles in 2025 have exceeded 1.1 million, making it a veritable "new central enterprise".

Now, it has decided not to test the waters, but to embrace sodium batteries for all brands and models: its many brands such as Avita, Deep Blue, Qiyuan, and Gravity will launch sodium electric models in the future; The world's first mass-produced passenger car with sodium electricity will be launched in the middle of this year.

What is the strength of sodium batteries?

The performance of the CATL "sodium new" battery on the car this time is eye-catching:

Gao Huan, CTO of CATL, revealed that this is just the beginning: "In the future, the range of sodium electric pure electric can reach 500–600 kilometers, and the extended range version can also run 300–400 kilometers, covering more than half of the market car demand."

CATL's "twin strategy"

In Gao Huan's words: "Lithium battery is our first child, and sodium battery is another child." The two "children" are raised together, not to replace anyone, but to make the entire energy system more resilient - especially in the context of tight lithium resources and large price fluctuations, sodium batteries use abundant (rich) sodium, which is not affected by resources.

CATL's goal is clear: in 2026, sodium batteries will be fully rolled out in the four major fields of battery swapping, passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and energy storage; with the expansion of scale, the cost of sodium batteries will decline rapidly, and will soon be on par with lithium iron phosphate; The ultimate goal: to replace about 50% of the market share of lithium iron phosphate batteries

This is not only a technological upgrade, but also the starting point of energy reconstruction. As Gao Huan said: "The formation of scale of sodium batteries in key areas is the first step in the reconstruction of the entire energy system."

The in-depth alliance between Changan and CATL not only sends sodium batteries from the "booth" to the "lane", but also may open a new electric era that is safer, more autonomous, more cold-resistant and more sustainable

From "spare tire" to "main force"

If the cooperation between Changan and CATL is the "ignition moment" of sodium batteries, then the collective acceleration of the entire industry is a comprehensive "start"

Why are car companies in a hurry to find a "spare tire"?

In the past few years, lithium batteries have been tossed by the ups and downs of lithium carbonate prices. Although lithium prices fell in 2025, they rose by nearly 20% in another month at the beginning of 2026.

The reason is simple: the demand for new energy vehicles + energy storage has both exploded, and 80% of China's lithium mines rely on imports, and resource security has always been a major concern.

In contrast, sodium resources are 1,200 times more than lithium in the earth's crust, and they are everywhere, so you don't have to look at other people's faces at all.

Experts have made it very clear: sodium power is not to "kill" lithium batteries, but to provide a second option to resist risks - just like giving "double insurance" to the supply chain.

Where to hit the sodium electricity first? A market that is price-sensitive and has low battery life requirements. At present, sodium batteries are mainly aimed at two types of scenarios: A00/A0 class micro electric vehicles (such as Wuling Hongguang MINIEV): price-sensitive, with a range of 300–400 kilometers; Light commercial vehicles, logistics vehicles, and low-speed electric vehicles: value cost and safety, and do not require high energy density.

Zhao Ruirui, president of EVE Lithium Energy Research Institute, also said frankly: "At this stage, sodium batteries and lithium batteries are complementary, not replaceable. Sodium electricity first gained a foothold in specific scenarios. ”

Production capacity has skyrocketed by 10 times! Sodium electricity has entered the era of "10,000 tons"

In 2025, the national output of sodium battery cathode materials will only be 11,000 tons; but by 2026, the planned production capacity has soared to more than 120,000 tons - an increase of more than 10 times!

Behind this is the end of the major giants: BYD's Fudi Battery: invested in the construction of a 10-billion-level sodium battery project in Xuzhou, with an annual output of 30GWh, focusing on mini cars; Zhongke Hainan: In 2025, the world's first sodium-electric heavy truck solution has been launched, mounted on a 49-ton pure electric tractor, running bulk logistics; Second-tier manufacturers such as Guoxuan Hi-Tech and Veken Technology have also launched GWh-level mass production lines.

CATL went further: not only to build batteries, but also to build battery swap stations. In order to solve the problem of slightly lower energy density of sodium batteries and the need for more frequent energy replenishment, CATL plans to build more than 3,000 "chocolate battery swap stations" across the country in 2026, especially in cold regions such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Northeast China - because sodium batteries have obvious advantages in cold resistance, which just matches the demand of the northern market.

The application structure is changing rapidly. In 2025, sodium batteries will be mainly used for energy storage (55%), followed by light power and start-stop power supplies; However, with the increase in passenger cars and commercial vehicles, the proportion of power batteries will increase rapidly.

In the first half of electrification, lithium batteries open the door, while in the second half, sodium electricity brings stronger supply chain resilience, lower costs, and higher resource security. As industry insiders said: high-quality development is not a replacement for "you die and I live", but an upgrade of "empowering each other".