JAC Group's Yiwei brand rolls off first sodium battery-powered mass-produced vehicle

Beijing (Gasgoo)- On December 27, JAC Group's Yiwei new energy vehicle brand, debuted the world's first mass-produced sodium battery-powered vehicle, set for large-scale deliveries post New Year’s Day.

Photo credit: JAC Group

This pioneering model houses the sodium-ion cylindrical cells supplied by HiNa Battery, showcasing exceptional low-temperature and rate capabilities. It uniquely adopts Yiwei’s honeycomb battery structure, boasting a non-combustible safety profile. This unveiling signifies the global industrialization debut of sodium-ion batteries in the automotive sector, cementing JAC Group's leadership in power battery R&D and industrialization.

Yiwei stands as the first domestic company researching and applying 18650, 21700 cylindrical cells, and 46-series large cylindrical cells. In February this year, the company unveiled the world's initial batch of sodium-ion battery test cars, and exhibiting the debut model, the EV 3 (Yiwei 3), in a sodium battery version at the Auto Shanghai 2023 in April. After half year of comprehensive testing, the test vehicle model smoothly entered the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's vehicle announcement catalog in October.

Xia Shunli, Chairman of Yiwei Technology, remarked in a recent interview, "Sodium batteries are poised to complement the industry alongside lithium iron phosphate batteries, providing a cost-effective solution to propel the mass adoption of electric vehicles."