Made from more affordable and more abundant materials than li-ion, sodium batteries promise more abundant and more affordable electric vehicles – but will sodium batteries be practical for commercial trucks? Chinese truck brand FAW Jiefang is working to find out.
Chinese heavy truck brand FAW Jiefang recently completed a full-condition, systematic test that ran for nearly seven months and covered more than 15,000 km (~9,350 miles). The tests closely tracked its electric truck fleet’s real-world operations in both extreme heat and cold, relying on continuous service-style operations (as opposed to laboratory test cycles) that exposed the sodium-ion battery packs to the kinds of stresses electric trucking fleets actually face on a daily basis: long-haul runs, repeated charging sessions, and constant exposure to changing road and weather conditions.
The results were impressive.
Sodium battery test results
Jiefang J6P electric semi trucks; via CNEVPost.
At -40°C, the 339 kWh sodium-ion battery pack co-developed by FAW and battery supplier Zhongke Haina retained more than 90% of its usable capacity – more than enough to ensure it can reliably meet the freight needs in the coldest regions of northern China, where nighttime temperatures can frequently plummet to -20°C in areas like Harbin and Shenyang.
Zhongke Haina says the FAW Jiefang tests also proved out claims of faster charging and improved battery safety.
“A full charge takes only 20-25 minutes, significantly reducing refueling time and effectively improving logistics and transportation efficiency. Furthermore, the battery has a cycle life exceeding 8,000 cycles under fast charging conditions, far surpassing industry standards,” reads Zhongke Haina’s official WeChat account (translated using Google Translate). “Sodium-ion battery materials have a milder chemical system and outstanding thermal stability, perfectly matching the operational needs of commercial vehicles for high-frequency heavy loads, all-weather high intensity, and high safety standards.”
FAW Jiefang believes the test has established them in the broader race to commercialize sodium batteries as the industry as-a-whole looks for an alternative to lithium that balance cost and performance. Other Chinese companies like CATL and BYD are also in that race, with the former committing more than $700 million to build out a 40 GWh annual sodium battery production capacity plant in Fujian, and the latter claiming it has developed a new, long-life sodium battery good for more than 10,000 charging cycles.
The race is on.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Zhongke Haina, via CNEVPost, NaCells.
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