Chinese automobile manufacturer JAC Motors is expected to launch its first EV to be powered by Sodium Ion Battery. The vehicle in question is a pint-sized four-door hatchback called the Yiwei E10X, and with the choice of battery, its parent company is clearly aiming it primarily at Chinese customers, due to the choice of battery and its ability to operate in colder, harsher climates.
If you’re wondering why Sodium Ion, there’s a simple list of reasons. First, the battery is cheaper than the Lithium Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) batteries, used typically by other EV manufacturers like Tesla. Second, Sodium Ion batteries are, as mentioned earlier, are considerably more reliable when it comes to performing or operating in colder climates.
That isn’t to say that Sodium Ion is flawless. Compared to LFP batteries, this battery type has a lower density, which means that they aren’t suitable for large-size vehicles; its size is measured at 25kWh only, meaning that it only has a range of 252km, at most. That’s approximately half than what other EVs offer, and slightly more than a quarter of the maximum recharge distance of the recently announced Xiaomi SU7 Max. However, given the HiNa Sodium Ion battery’s capacity, charging it from 10% to 80% should take around 20 minutes. At least, that is according to official fluff from JAC Motors.
“Sodium-ion batteries will become an important battery type, complementary to LFP batteries, and a low-cost solution that promotes the popularization of mass electric vehicles to masses.” Xia Shunli, chairman of Yiwei, said.
(Source; Car News China, Techspot)
