BYD’s Sodium-Ion Battery Factory Set To Have 30 GWh Capacity

We reported back in June 2023 that FinDreams, an offshoot of BYD has entered into a joint venture agreement with Huaihai Holding Group for the business development of its sodium-ion battery production. Following that, BYD just announced recently that it has initiated the construction of its inaugural sodium-ion battery plant in Xuzhou, China at the cost of RMB10 billion (approximately RM6.6 billion).

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on Jan 4 in the Xuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, and is expected to have a projected annual production capacity of the plant set at 30 GWh.

The agreement for the construction of the Xuzhou sodium battery plant was formalised on Nov 18 in Shenzhen between BYD's subsidiary, FinDreams, and Huaihai Group. Both companies expressed their commitment to making Xuzhou a hub for battery production dedicated to micro vehicles and scooters, emphasising the optimal utilisation of sodium-ion packs for such electric vehicles.

While the BYD Seagull was initially rumoured to be the first electric vehicle mass-produced with a sodium-ion battery, its launch in April 2023 featured a standard LFP Blade battery from BYD instead. The company has not provided further comments on this matter.

Sodium-ion batteries, often referred to as "salt" batteries, are characterised by their cost-effectiveness and lack of reliance on lithium, with sodium serving as the cathode material. Moreover, they do not necessitate other precious metals like cobalt or nickel, typically found in ternary NMC batteries.

Furthermore, sodium-ion batteries offer advantages such as enhanced safety, improved performance in cold temperatures, slower discharge rates, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness.

However, there are inert disadvantages associated with sodium-ion batteries where it exhibits a slower charge rate, lower attainable voltage, and lower energy density when compared to LFP batteries.