---
title: Sodium-Ion Batteries
type: technology
url: "https://www.envisioning.com/research/grid/china__sodium-ion-batteries"
hub: grid
summary: "CATL's Naxtra battery eliminates lithium dependency using sodium — an element 1,000x more abundant — while working in temperatures from -40°C to 70°C"
---

# Sodium-Ion Batteries

CATL's Naxtra battery eliminates lithium dependency using sodium — an element 1,000x more abundant — while working in temperatures from -40°C to 70°C
- Technology Readiness Level: 8/9
- Impact: 4/5
- Investment: 5/5
CATL launched Naxtra in April 2025 as the world's first mass-produced sodium-ion battery brand, with large-scale deployment beginning in 2026. The chemistry uses hard carbon anodes and Prussian blue cathodes, sidestepping lithium, cobalt, and nickel entirely.

Sodium-ion matters because it breaks the resource bottleneck. Lithium prices spiked 400% in 2022, exposing the fragility of lithium-dependent supply chains. Sodium is extracted from seawater and salt deposits — effectively unlimited. BYD is also building a 30 GWh pilot line in Qinghai.

The tradeoff: sodium-ion has ~30% lower energy density than lithium-ion, making it better suited for stationary storage, city EVs, and grid backup than long-range vehicles. MIT Technology Review named it a top-10 breakthrough for 2026.

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Source: Envisioning — Technology Research Institute (https://www.envisioning.com/research/grid/china__sodium-ion-batteries)