CATL Pins Hopes On Its Naxtra Sodium-ion Battery For EVs

CATL Pins Hopes On Its Naxtra Sodium-ion Battery For EVs

Chinese battery giant CATL unveiled three electric vehicle battery products recently at its first-ever Super Tech Day, marking a major step into what it calls the “multi-power era”. The company launched the Freevoy Dual-Power Battery, the Naxtra sodium-ion battery — the world’s first to reach mass production — and a second-generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery. It also introduced a Naxtra-powered 24V integrated start/stop battery for heavy-duty trucks.

CATL enters the multi-power era

The Freevoy battery uses a dual-power architecture, combining two independent energy zones with distinct chemistries to tailor performance to user needs. This design enables dual high- and low-voltage output, dual thermal safety, and extended driving ranges.

CATL said the self-forming anode technology used in Freevoy allows a 60% increase in volumetric energy density and a 50% gain in gravimetric density, supporting longer ranges and compact battery designs.

Naxtra: First mass-produced sodium-ion battery

Naxtra represents CATL’s move to diversify battery resources, addressing global lithium supply constraints. The battery is designed for safety, extreme temperature performance, and affordability.

The Naxtra passenger EV battery delivers an energy density of 175Wh/kg, a range of 500 km, and over 10,000 charge cycles. It retains 90% usable power at -40°C and is designed with “intrinsic safety” at the material level, the company said.

For commercial vehicles, CATL introduced a 24V Naxtra battery for heavy-duty trucks, offering eight years of service life and reducing lifecycle costs by 61% compared to lead-acid alternatives. It features deep discharge capability, instant starting in sub-zero temperatures, and long idle resilience.

Shenxing 2.0 sets charging speed record

CATL also unveiled the second-generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery — the world’s first lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery to combine an 800 km range with a 12C peak charging rate.

With a peak charging power of 1.3 megawatts, the battery delivers 2.5 km of range per second of charge. At -10°C, it charges from 5% to 80% in just 15 minutes — double the speed of the best current technologies, according to CATL.

It maintains 830kW of output even in low charge states and cold environments, making it suitable for rapid acceleration and consistent performance.