A Chinese automaker has unveiled the world’s first sodium-ion (Na-ion) electric vehicle (EV), opening the door to safer battery technology and improved cold-weather performance.
The Changan Nevo A06 is jointly produced by Changan Automobile and Hyundai Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), the world’s largest battery manufacturer.
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The Nevo A06 is powered by a 45 kilowatt-hour CATL Naxtra battery. The battery is a product of battery giant Na-ion, which was first announced in April 2025.
CATL representatives say the batteries in the car can travel 248 miles (400 kilometers) on a single charge, and the cells have an energy density of 175 watt-hours per kilogram.
Because Na-ion batteries can be charged faster than lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, the Nevo A06 can also provide consumers with an experience similar to filling up their vehicle with gas, with a Changan representative stating that the Nevo A06 can be charged to 80% in just 15 minutes.
That’s twice as fast as the Tesla Model Y, which can reach 80% at 100 kilowatts, according to data from EV charging site Electra.
The Changan Nevo A06 is scheduled to be launched in mid-2026 and is just the first of many Na-ion EVs expected to hit the market in the near future.
For example, BYD, which recently overtook Tesla to become the world’s largest EV maker, began construction of a 30 gigawatt-hour Na-ion battery facility in China’s Xuzhou city in early 2024.
Naion car is finally released on the market
Scientists say Na-ion batteries are an emerging technology that has the potential to dramatically reduce battery manufacturing costs and improve battery safety compared to traditional lithium-ion (Li-ion) alternatives.
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Na-ion batteries are made from the more widely available sodium and are more stable in operation. This makes them less likely to catch fire if damaged, making them an important safety feature for EVs.
Na-ion batteries are also highly tolerant of extreme temperatures and can retain much of their charge at temperatures well below freezing or well above human habitability, providing superior year-round EV performance and efficiency.
In Naxtra’s initial announcement, CATL said the battery can operate in temperatures from -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 degrees Celsius) to 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius) and can retain 90% of its charge as usable power even at the lowest temperatures.
As reported by CarNewsChina, Changan Automobile said in an announcement that the Nevo A06 retains three times the discharge capacity of an equivalent capacity at -22 °F (-30 °C) compared to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, the leading battery technology in EVs and energy storage.
To date, Na-ion batteries are most useful for static applications such as grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) due to their lower capacity than Li-ion batteries.
However, the introduction of vehicles such as the Changan Nevo A06 has called these assumptions into question. As Na-ion batteries are produced on a larger scale, drivers will be able to enjoy EVs with improved battery efficiency and the ability to operate in harsher climates.
This provides many benefits over simply moving your car further away in colder climates. Think about how many times you drove your car after leaving it in a cold driveway for a day or more.
For BESS, this also ensures that grid storage does not suffer from significant reductions in efficiency during the winter.
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