EV Batteries

[steveting99]

CATL, the world's largest battery maker has obtained certification of their Natra sodium batteries meeting new stringent safety standards set out in GB 38031-2025 as shown below.

Certification was given by the independent China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATRC), where CATL's Naxtra sodium battery demonstrated resilience against thermal runaway events, bottom impact, and fast-charging stress. CATL's Naxtra sodium battery has certain benefits compared to Lithium-ion chemistry. These include.

(1) Expected long terms costs to be around half that of LFP chemistry. LFP chemistry now dominates China made BEV/PHEV/REEV with around 60% market share. Expect price on cell level to be around $50/kg.

(2) Energy density is a bit lower compared to LFP chemistry of 175W/kg. Somewhere in the middle of range sitting between BYD's first generation blade battery (145W/kg) and CATL's ShenXing LFP battery (205W/kg). High nickel chemistry (i.e. NCM/NCA) has higher energy density - but has higher fire risk. 

(3) Longer life span with up to 10,000 cycles. Much longer and better than high nickel chemistry of around 1,500 cycles or even LFP which has around 3,000 cycles. This means the sodium battery will out live the vehicle and eliminate any concerns on battery degradation over 2 CoE cycles. 

(4) Expanded operating temperature range, from -40 deg C to +60 deg C. The most important is the low temperature operation where capacity loss is only around 10%, much better than any lithium-ion chemistry. Important for Northern China, Russian, European and North American countries where low temperature operations are an important factor.

(5) Can do 5C re-charge. Comparable to current LFP chemistry re-charging characteristics.

(6) Designed with battery swap stations in mind. Compatible with CATL's Choco Swap No. 20 and No. 25 standard modules, including battery swap formats, enabling use across a broad range of vehicle platforms without requiring significant design changes from automakers.

Mass or volume production by CATL on their Naxtra sodium ion battery will start in early 2026. CATL has started to supply their Naxtra sodium batteries to Changan's Oshan sub-brand and expected to supply cells to other manufacturers such as GAC and JAC. CN EV Post article is here: https://cnevpost.com/2026/01/30/catl-sodium-batteries-already-been-installed-in-passenger-vehicles/

Car News China article on CATL's Naxtra sodium battery is here: https://carnewschina.com/2025/09/08/catls-naxtra-sodium-ion-passes-new-national-safety-standards-ready-for-mass-production/

 

[simon_simon]

On 5/4/2026 at 2:45 AM, Jiangwei said:

@simon_simon I saw that and asked my SE before i booked my EV. He confirmed that it is 10 years at 70% SOH for the battery warranty.

I got him to write that in my sale agreement and sign. 

Cool!  We need new converts like you to get onboard the EV bandwagon while demanding better and more transparent deals. 🤗

[simon_simon]

On 5/3/2026 at 3:29 PM, steveting99 said:

For the Sealion 7 Dynamic the estimated distance works out to be : 972,000kms * (1 - 0.16), which is around 816,480kms after 3,000 cycles.

If one does 40,000kms a year - twice the normal average for Singaporeans, it would take a little over 20 years (or two CoE cycles) before the battery's state of health reaches 84% or 60.3kWhr. The battery pack has plenty of life left and can still continue to operate - long before the vehicle goes to the scrap heap. The battery pack will most likely be good enough to be re-used for grid scale energy storage system, so there's some value and thus money left in the battery pack. I.e. the value of the battery pack is not zero. Don't let anyone fool you in saying otherwise. 

Wow... EV traction battery pack has the potential to outlive the vehicle COE lifetime x2 !!!!

Looking at those figures + EV warranty covers 80-70% min, this means those old battery pack has a lot of storage value left.

Found this report on how a sector has grown to recycle those old battery packs....by putting them into data centre or integrating into the power grid storage.

Old EV batteries could meet most of China's energy storage needs

 

 

[steveting99]

On 4/30/2026 at 5:49 PM, deutfalke said:

I’ve started looking around for my next car and will likely make the jump to EV. My main concern right now is battery health, especially in Singapore’s climate and usage patterns.

Came across this article from sgCarMart:
https://www.sgcarmart.com/articles/advice/ev-battery-warranty-a-comprehensive-guide-36882

From what I understand, most brands here offer around 8 to 10 years warranty with about 70% battery health guarantee, which sounds reassuring on paper.

But I’m curious about real world experiences. Has anyone here actually gone through the process of claiming EV battery warranty locally? Was it straightforward or a headache?

The only case I’m aware of is the Taycan dispute, where warranty didn’t apply after an accident because damage was attributed to the collision. That one seems quite messy.

Also a bit worried about the fine print, like whether they might reject claims due to things like minor undercarriage damage, scratches, or anything that could be argued as external damage rather than a manufacturing defect.

Hi @deutfalke ! Welcome to MCF if no one has said so.

There are two cases that I'm aware of that involved high voltage battery pack warranty claim issue at MCF. Surprisingly it's with a well known conti brand and #3 in Singapore's best sellers list for 2025 - BMW. Two MCFs had issues with their PHEV high voltage battery pack. 

eleong documented his issue here: 

andrewasi documented his issue here: 

 

andrewasi eventually got one of the six cells replaced by Eurokars, but from the feedback the experience wasn't all that satisfactory. Not sure if eleong was successful at all with PML. So need to be a bit careful with BMW and their PHEVs as their warranty isn't worth the paper its written on.

Which ever car brand you're going for, be sure to ask for the battery curve to check for degradation over the number of cycles and compare it against the warranty given. This way, if the high voltage battery pack is a lemon, there's verifiable proof and if necessary take the AD to court. 

[steveting99]

A follow up CATL's  second generation of sodium ion batteries (Naxtra). CnEVPost article about it is here: https://cnevpost.com/2025/04/21/catl-sodium-ion-12c-shenxing-freevoy-dual-power-batteries/. Initially production of Naxtra is used to replace heavy duty lead-acid batteries in trucks as shown in the picture below.

 

Safety test video on the Naxtra cell from CATL is below.

With a much longer life span (10,000 cycles) of the Naxra sodium chemistry compared to LFP chemistry, there's going to be demand from grid energy storage. CATL has signed a 3-year , 60GWhr agreement with a Chinese energy storage system provider (HyperStrong) as per CNEVPost article here: https://cnevpost.com/2026/04/27/catl-secures-worlds-largest-sodium-ion-battery-order/, which triggered a new 40GWhr production line in Fujian, China just for sodium ion cell production as per CNEVPost article here: https://cnevpost.com/2026/05/09/catl-plans-40-gwh-sodium-battery-capacity-expansion/

Would think CATL's Naxtra sodium ion cells be the right choice for PHEV and REEV vehicles due to their long life span and low cost (eventually). Even in the extreme case of doing a full charge per day, it would take at least 27 years to reach 10,000 cycles.

[simon_simon]

On 5/9/2026 at 3:54 PM, steveting99 said:

A follow up CATL's  second generation of sodium ion batteries (Naxtra). CnEVPost article about it is here: https://cnevpost.com/2025/04/21/catl-sodium-ion-12c-shenxing-freevoy-dual-power-batteries/.  Would think CATL's Naxtra sodium ion cells be the right choice for PHEV and REEV vehicles due to their long life span and low cost (eventually).

Even in the extreme case of doing a full charge per day, it would take at least 27 years to reach 10,000 cycles.

Imagine - EV battery that last  majority of your adult working life...😄

[steveting99]

Benchmark Minerals Intelligence has released their report on global EV sales up to April 2026 here: https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/global-ev-sales-reached-1-60-million-units-in-april-2026

Overall Year To Date (YTD) numbers are 5.6 million vehicles with a 5.6% increase over the previous year. Leading the charge is Europe and Rest of the World (RoW) with 26% and 89% increases YTD.

Monthly sales numbers and trends since January 2025 to April 2026.

 

[steveting99]

Interesting article on the difference between ultra DC fast charging vs. battery swapping by Gasgoo here: https://autonews.gasgoo.com/articles/news/the-charging-vs-swapping-debate-returns-2034649181094834177.

Both have their usage scenarios and applications from industrial, commercial to regular consumers. Ultimately the economics and market will determine who'll be in the lead. 

The battery swap has certain advantages for Singaporeans. The battery is the largest component cost of a BEV. With the Battery As a Service (BaaS) model, the upfront cost of the BEV drops dramatically and thus making it more affordable to all. The OMV for BEVs will drop with BaaS and battery swap model. 

Edited May 19 by steveting99
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[steveting99]

CATL has quickly responded to BYD's Blade Battery 2.0 by holding its Super Technology Day in Beijing on 21 April 2026. A good summary is given by Mike the Car Guy here:

Essentially CATL playing the one up brinkmanship game by saying they can do better than BYD. CATL offers a wide range of battery chemistries for ride makers, including:

• The top end high energy density NCM called Qilin in its 3rd generation;
• Also the 1st generation Qilin Condensed Battery which has the highest energy density available on a commercial level that's got semi-solid electrolyte;
• The mass market and affordable LFP chemistry called Shenxing in its 3rd generation; 
• A new sodium chemistry batteries called Naxtra in its 1st generation; and most interestingly
• The 2nd generation Freevoy Super Hybrid chemistry that combines NCM and LFP at the molecular level for PHEVs and REEVs.

CATL claims all their batteries comply with or exceed the no fire, no smoke national standard specified in GB 38031-2025 that comes into affect on 1 July 2026. Exciting times ahead in the battery world as well as future BEVs.

Source is here: https://www.catl.com/en/news/6811.html

 

 

Edited May 20 by steveting99
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[steveting99]

Battery Tech network article on sodium ion chemistry battery status in 2025 and forecast.

Will see if sodium ion cell price drops to those amazingly low forecasted number of USD$19/kWhr in the long term. Believe most of the sodium ion batteries will end up as grid energy storage systems, so don't see much demand for sodium ion batteries in BEVs.  

Data source is here: https://battery-tech.net/how-sodium-ion-technology-is-disrupting-the-global-battery-market-in-2026/

[steveting99]

Replacement costs for BYD's new Blade 2.0 Battery has come up via this article on Car News China here: https://carnewschina.com/2026/05/21/byd-blade-battery-2-0-replacement-less-than-11600-usd-in-china-says-denza-z9-gt-ev-owner/ .

An owner of a Z9GT had to replace his Blade 2.0 battery pack and was quoted 78,700 yuan for the 122.5kWhr pack. Posting on Weibo, the owner claimed that the quote was provided by a Denza dealership and did not include the cost of consumables or labor. The Z9GT reportedly sustained undercarriage damage, affecting its battery.

The Blade 2.0 battery costs works out to 642.5 yuan per kWhr or about  USD$94.68/kWhr at the pack level.

On the same thread, a Denza N7 owner said that it costed him 84,290 yuan for replacing his 91kWhr Blade 1.0 battery pack. See snapshot below

Blade 1.0 battery costs work out to be 926.3 yuan per kWhr or about USD$136/kWhr at the pack level.

Already can see that BYD has made some significant advancements and cost savings with Blade 2.0 compared to the older Blade 1.0 battery, even factoring the cost of labor.

No wonder BYD is keen to roll out Blade 2.0 battery across to all their models, from low end budget all the way to the top end Z9GT.  There's significant cost savings to be had with Blade 2.0 battery.

Edited May 26 by steveting99
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[steveting99]

Looks like there is a cheap and effective way to test a BEV's high voltage battery's State of Health (SoH). Service provided by Aviloo across the causeway here: https://paultan.org/aviloo/#home. Only RM380 (SGD$123) for a quick 3 minute test and RM480 (SGD$156) for a full test with a battery certificate at the end. Worthwhile for those who are in the market for a used (2nd hand) BEV.

Paul Tan article on a 10-year old Tesla Model S which has done 116,000kms with 90% DC fast charging revealed a surprisingly high battery SoH of 83%! 

So 3rd party independent check on the most expensive component in BEV is now available to all at a very reasonable price. This should help out those who are worried about the resale value of their BEVs.

Edit: Aviloo claims they can also test the battery on PHEVs as well. Check if their system supports the brand you're interested in. Those PHEV conti brands that have known issues (chough-chough BMW) can have their batteries from their PHEV undergo a 3rd party test to verify SoH. Would  highly recommend any future owner of a used conti PHEV ask for a copy of the battery's SoH from an independent 3rd party such as Aviloo.  It's a small cost to pay for peace of mind. 

Edited May 28 by steveting99
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[Matoonia]

On 5/28/2026 at 8:30 AM, steveting99 said:

Looks like there is a cheap and effective way to test a BEV's high voltage battery's State of Health (SoH). Service provided by Aviloo across the causeway here: https://paultan.org/aviloo/#home. Only RM380 (SGD$123) for a quick 3 minute test and RM480 (SGD$156) for a full test with a battery certificate at the end. Worthwhile for those who are in the market for a used (2nd hand) BEV.

Paul Tan article on a 10-year old Tesla Model S which has done 116,000kms with 90% DC fast charging revealed a surprisingly high battery SoH of 83%! 

So 3rd party independent check on the most expensive component in BEV is now available to all at a very reasonable price. This should help out those who are worried about the resale value of their BEVs.

Edit: Aviloo claims they can also test the battery on PHEVs as well. Check if their system supports the brand you're interested in. Those PHEV conti brands that have known issues (chough-chough BMW) can have their batteries from their PHEV undergo a 3rd party test to verify SoH. Would  highly recommend any future owner of a used conti PHEV ask for a copy of the battery's SoH from an independent 3rd party such as Aviloo.  It's a small cost to pay for peace of mind. 

I also did a Xtool battery test when i purchased a 4.5 yr old BEV recently. The result came back 93% which was very good, meaning the deterioration is only 1.4% per year.  

[inlinesix]

On 5/28/2026 at 10:37 AM, Matoonia said:

I also did a Xtool battery test when i purchased a 4.5 yr old BEV recently. The result came back 93% which was very good, meaning the deterioration is only 1.4% per year.  

Based on Aviloo test, it shows voltage for each cell.

That's very important for BEV.

[Matoonia]

On 5/28/2026 at 10:58 AM, inlinesix said:

Based on Aviloo test, it shows voltage for each cell.

That's very important for BEV.

Yes it is a detailed report every cell also tested 

 

[Lala81]

On 5/28/2026 at 11:04 AM, Matoonia said:

Yes it is a detailed report every cell also tested 

 

this is offered by who?

 

[Matoonia]

On 5/28/2026 at 2:44 PM, Lala81 said:

this is offered by who?

 

I got xtool from this company https://chargeandgo.io/

But i think there are also quite a few battery health check providers like https://www.sgcarmart.com/shop/privilege/2057-vicom-evhybrid-batteryfit-check-in-collaboration-with-best

https://www.p-up.tech/sg

 

[Lala81]

On 5/28/2026 at 3:32 PM, Matoonia said:

I got xtool from this company https://chargeandgo.io/

But i think there are also quite a few battery health check providers like https://www.sgcarmart.com/shop/privilege/2057-vicom-evhybrid-batteryfit-check-in-collaboration-with-best

https://www.p-up.tech/sg

 

Cool. This should be a pinned post!