- The sodium-ion battery is engineered for extreme cold environments, retaining 90% of its usable capacity at -40°C, CATL said.
- The sodium battery pack has a capacity of 45 kWh and targets use in light trucks and micro-trucks.
CATL (HKG: 3750, SHE: 300750) has launched a sodium-ion battery for light commercial vehicles, aiming for mass adoption of this new battery type this year.
The Chinese battery giant rolled out its Tectrans II series power batteries at an event on Thursday, primarily targeting light commercial vehicles.
The series' low-temperature variant is a sodium-ion battery, which CATL said is the industry's first mass-produced sodium battery for light commercial vehicles, engineered for extreme cold environments.
The sodium battery pack has a capacity of 45 kWh and targets small vans and micro trucks.
The battery pack can still be plugged in and charged in extreme cold conditions of -30°C. At -40°C, the battery retains 90% of its usable capacity, according to the company.
This marks CATL's first major move in the sodium-ion battery sector this year.
In 2026, sodium batteries will see large-scale adoption in battery swapping, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and energy storage, CATL said at a supplier conference held in its headquarters city of Ningde, Fujian on December 28.
Sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries are poised to form a "dual-star" trend, CATL noted at the time.
Beyond the sodium battery, the Tectrans II series includes an ultra-fast charging variant capable of charging from 20% to 80% in 30 minutes at -15°C.
It also features a high-temperature ultra-fast charging version that adds 60% range in 18 minutes, with cell life reaching 5,000 cycles at 45°C.
The series also offers a long-range version with a battery pack capacity of up to 253 kWh, delivering 800 kilometers of range.
Additionally, CATL introduced battery swap-compatible packs in the series, including the #20 battery swap block with 42 kWh capacity, the #25 block with 56 kWh, and the #35 block with 81 kWh.
