JAC Motors, a Volkswagen-backed Chinese language automaker, is about to launch the primary mass-produced electrical car (EV) with a sodium-ion battery by way of its new Yiwei model. Though sodium-ion battery tech has a decrease density (and is much less mature) than lithium-ion, its decrease prices, extra plentiful provides and superior cold-weather efficiency may assist speed up mass EV adoption. CarNewsChina stories that the JAC Yiwei EV hatchback deliveries will start in January.
Yiwei is a brand new model in 2023 for JAC. Volkswagen has a 75 % stake in (and administration management of) JAC and owns 50 % of JAC’s mum or dad firm, Anhui Jianghuai Car Group Holdings (JAG). The Chinese language authorities owns the opposite half of JAG, making for one of many auto trade’s stranger pairings.
The Yiwei EV seems to be a rebranded model of the Sehol E10X hatchback (above), introduced earlier this 12 months. CarNewsChina describes the Sehol mannequin as having a 252 km (157 miles) vary with a 25 kWh capability, 120 Wh / kg power density, 3C to 4C charging, and a HiNa NaCR32140 cell. When JAC revealed the Yiwei model in Could, it mentioned it might drop the Sehol label and rebrand all its autos to both JAC or Yiwei, main us to this week’s EV reveal. JAC hasn’t but mentioned whether or not the Yiwei-branded mannequin will hold the E10X moniker.
In April, JAC showcased a separate EV known as the Yiwei 3 on the Shanghai Auto Present. That mannequin launched in June with an LFP lithium battery, promising the sodium-ion variant would launch later.
The brand new Yiwei EV reportedly makes use of cylindrical sodium-ion cells from HiNA Battery. JAC assembles the batteries within the firm’s modular UE (Unitized Encapsulation) honeycomb construction, much like CATL’s CTP (cell-to-pack) and BYD’s Blade. The format can present for better stability and efficiency.