China Accelerates Sodium-Ion Battery Adoption Through Electric Scooters
- tech360.tv
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
China is leading the global push to commercialise sodium-ion batteries, with electric scooters at the forefront of the transition.
In Hangzhou, eastern China, electric mopeds powered by sodium-ion batteries are drawing attention outside shopping malls. These scooters, priced between USD 400 and USD 660, are part of a promotional campaign by Yadea, a major Chinese two-wheeler manufacturer.
The mopeds feature fast-charging pillars that can recharge batteries from 0% to 80% in 15 minutes, and battery-swapping stations that allow users to exchange depleted batteries in seconds.
Yadea has already launched three sodium-powered models and plans to expand its lineup. The company also established the Hangzhou Huayu New Energy Research Institute to focus on sodium-ion battery development.
Sodium-ion batteries are gaining traction in China’s two-wheeler market, which sold around 55 million electric scooters in 2023—nearly six times the number of electric cars sold that year.
In 2024, Yadea began a pilot programme in Shenzhen involving 150,000 food delivery couriers using sodium-powered scooters. The city aims to install 20,000 battery-swapping or charging pods by 2025 and 50,000 by 2027.
Sodium-ion batteries are seen as a safer and more abundant alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Sodium is about 400 times more abundant than lithium and can be extracted from sea salt.
These batteries are less prone to overheating and perform better in cold weather. Researchers at Xi'an Jiaotong University have developed a battery liquid that allows sodium-ion batteries to retain over 80% of their capacity at −40°C.
Despite their lower energy density, sodium-ion batteries are suitable for short-range vehicles like scooters. They also offer environmental benefits by reducing reliance on metals like cobalt and nickel.
While sodium-powered cars have entered the market, their impact remains limited due to short driving ranges. In 2024, only 204 sodium-powered microcars were sold in China.
Yadea reported nearly 1,000 sales of its sodium scooters in the first quarter of 2025 and plans to install 1,000 fast-charging pillars in Hangzhou this year, with one available every 2 km.
Other companies, including Tailg and BYD’s battery arm FinDreams, are also investing in sodium-ion technology.
According to the Starting Point Research Institute, sodium-ion batteries could power 15% of China’s electric scooters by 2030, up from 0.04% in 2023.
Beyond scooters, sodium-ion batteries are being used in energy storage stations. In May 2024, China launched its first sodium-powered energy storage plant in Guangxi, capable of storing 10 megawatt-hours of electricity.
Another facility followed in Hubei province, and about 20% of all planned energy storage projects by state-run companies in 2024 included sodium technology.
Currently, sodium-ion batteries for energy storage cost about 60% more than lithium-ion ones, but this gap is expected to narrow.
China is rapidly scaling up production. In 2024, Chinese firms announced plans to build 27 sodium-ion battery plants with a combined capacity of 180 GWh.
By 2033, global sodium-ion battery capacity is projected to exceed 500 GWh, with China accounting for over 90% of it.
Chinese companies spent more than 55 billion yuan (USD 7.6 billion) on sodium-ion battery R&D in 2023, far surpassing the USD 4.5 billion raised by all US battery start-ups for non-lithium solutions.
Yadea is expanding into Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa, aiming to bring sodium-ion battery technology and green transport to hundreds of millions of people.
China is leading global sodium-ion battery development through electric scooters
Yadea launched sodium-powered mopeds and charging infrastructure in Hangzhou
Sodium-ion batteries offer safety, cold-weather performance and environmental benefits
Source: BBC