CATL Launches Naxtra, First Sodium-Ion Battery For The Era Of Cheap And Safe Electric Vehicles

CATL Tech Day 2025. (Doc. CATL)

JAKARTA - The electric vehicle industry was again shocked by the revolutionary innovation of the Chinese battery giant, CATL.

Today, Monday 21 April, the Shanghai-based company officially launched its newest sodium-ion battery brand, Naxtra, which is scheduled to start mass production in December. Not only that, CATL also introduced the second generation of its flagship fast charging battery, Shenxing, which promises super-light charging even in cold weather.

The next leap in battery tech is about to be revealed. Join us LIVE for CATL TECH DAY 2025, where we break through the limits of battery and redefine what’s possible.📅 Date: April 21st, 2025🕒 Time: 15:00 (UTC+8) https://t.co/ZycVMDxbTx

— CATL (@catl_official) April 21, 2025

The next leap in battery tech is about to be revealed. Join us LIVE for CATL TECH DAY 2025, where we break through the limits of battery and redefine what’s possible.📅 Date: April 21st, 2025🕒 Time: 15:00 (UTC+8) https://t.co/ZycVMDxbTx

Launching Reuters and CarNewsChina, today, CATL itself has listed itself as the first major automotive battery manufacturer to introduce a sodium-ion battery in 2021. The main advantage of this type of battery lies in cheap and abundant sodium material. Experts also believe that sodium chemistry has the potential to be significant in reducing the risk of fire on electric vehicles, a crucial point for consumer safety.

The good news is that the first product under the Naxtra brand will feature a new generation of sodium-ion batteries with an energy density of 175 watt-hours per kilogram. This figure is almost equivalent to the Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery which is currently popularly used in electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage systems.

CATL founder billionaire Robin Zeng, who has a vision to transform his company into a leading green energy provider and drastically cut the cost of developing electric vehicles, even predicts that sodium-ion batteries have the potential to replace up to half of the LFP battery market share currently dominated by CATL. A very ambitious statement and potentially changing the global battery industry competition map!

Second Generation Shenxing: 5 Minutes Power Fill For 520 KM Tempuh Distance, Not Cold!

In addition to the Naxtra breakthrough, CATL also launched the second generation of Shenxing fast charging batteries. This latest technology is claimed to be able to provide a distance of 520 km with just five minutes of charging! Even more impressive, this second-generation Shenxing battery is capable of charging 80% of zero in just 15 minutes, even in cold weather conditions. A breakthrough that will eliminate EV drivers' concerns about limited travel distance and charging time.

CATL Chief Technology Officer, Gao Huan, at the launch event in Shanghai revealed that more than 67 new electric vehicle models will be powered by the Shenxing battery this year. However, he did not specify how many of them would use the first or second versions.

Security Innovation: Jet Plane-Ala Twin Battery System!

Unstoppable on charging performance and speed, CATL also introduces an innovative system for combining battery packs, which are analogized to a two-machine system on passenger planes. The company claims that the system will significantly increase electric vehicle security. Details on how the system works are still limited, but analogy with the redundancy system on airplanes provides an overview that CATL is very serious in improving battery safety aspects.

The launch of the second generation of Naxtra and Shenxing comes amid market challenges faced by CATL. Last month, the company reported a 15% annual net profit growth for 2024, the slowest pace in six years. The prolonged price war on the Chinese electric vehicle market puts great pressure on the battery giant.

However, with Naxtra's sodium-ion battery innovation potentially reducing the cost of production of EVs and second-generation Shenxing batteries offering revolutionary charging speeds, CATL shows that they are not afraid to face competition. This move is precisely proof of their commitment to continue to innovate and encourage global adoption of electric vehicles. The future of EV batteries, apparently, will be even more interesting with the presence of these new technologies from CATL.