Yiwei begins mass production of its first electric car with sodium-ion batteries

Yiwei, JAC’s (Jianghuai Automobile Group) new all-electric Chinese car brand, has just begun mass production of the first electric car fitted with sodium-ion batteries.

The final name for this compact city car has not yet been confirmed. For now, it is simply known as the Yiwei EV, with the first deliveries in China scheduled to start later this January.

Using cylindrical sodium-ion cells supplied by fellow Chinese company HiNa Battery, the Yiwei EV features JAC’s UE (Unitized Encapsulation) module technology, based on a honeycomb-style design (see image above).

Sodium-ion technology began with Sehol

Although Yiwei is the first manufacturer to mass-produce an electric vehicle using this battery technology, the story actually began with another Chinese brand, Sehol.

Sehol was part of Volkswagen Anhui until 2021 (see box), before joining JAC’s portfolio of brands. It was announced in 2023 that the Sehol brand would be discontinued, with every model renamed and absorbed into either JAC Motors or Yiwei.

The small electric car featured here is one such example. We first saw it almost a year ago as a prototype under the Sehol brand, carrying the E10X name. It remains unclear whether it will retain that designation when it reaches the market as a Yiwei, or whether it will be given a new one.

Yiwei EV battery capacity and range

What is already confirmed is that this small electric car has a battery with a capacity of just 25 kWh, capable of charging from 10% to 80% in only 20 minutes.

Its range is rated at 252 kilometres under China’s CLTC driving cycle, which is considerably more lenient than Europe’s WLTP cycle.

As a rule, CLTC figures can be 20% higher than WLTP results, meaning this electric car’s range under European type approval should be around 200 km.

What is the main difference from a “conventional” battery?

Beyond the raw materials involved, the key difference compared with the lithium-ion batteries fitted to most electric cars - NMC and LFP types - is cost, which naturally has a significant effect on the vehicle’s final price.

Because they do not use metals such as lithium or nickel, sodium-ion batteries “are a low-cost solution that promotes the mass adoption of electric vehicles”, Yiwei chairman Xia Shunli told Car News China.

Even so, this technology has so far been used more widely in stationary energy-storage applications - in homes, for example - largely because its energy density is lower than that of LFP (lithium iron phosphate) and NMC (nickel, manganese and cobalt) batteries.

Sodium-ion battery energy density

To put this into perspective, the sodium-ion battery in this Yiwei has an energy density of 120 Wh/kg. An LFP battery can reach 160 Wh/kg, while an NMC battery can achieve 270 Wh/kg, making this the main limitation of sodium-ion batteries.

Put simply, a sodium-ion battery requires more material than a lithium-ion battery with an equivalent capacity, so it takes up more space and weighs more.

Source: Car News China