Initial operations at the newly completed Chaowei battery facility target an annual capacity of 2GWh. Image rendered by CNC Understand China EV’s Market Real-time notifications when critical EV data is released All important data in one place 2,000,000+ data points Become a member Chery Automotive’s supply partner, Chaowei Group, has activated a major lithium-free component pipeline to secure affordable electric transport segments. According to an industrial capacity disclosure from CBEA, manufacturing officially commenced at the sodium battery production infrastructure hub in Anqing on June 13, 2026. The assembly layout is managed by the production subsidiary, Anqing Chaoren Energy Technology, to deliver low-temperature traction cells. This complete industrial development project represents a total investment of 3.5 billion yuan (517.65 million USD) and delivers an initial annualised output capacity of 2GWh. Material channel physics The physical properties of sodium ions require an absolute restructuring of conventional cell chemistry. Because sodium ions are 30% larger than lithium ions, standard graphite anodes fail to facilitate smooth ion insertion. Hard carbon is the primary material that determines the ultimate pricing floor for the sodium battery sector. Anode feedstock rivalry Upstream material developers are engaged in a fierce supply-chain competition between coal-based and synthetic-resin-based hard-carbon variants. Wanhua Chemical maintains parallel engineering programs to address disparate vehicle cost and performance strategies. Premium synthetic phenolic resin offers a specific capacity of 335 mAh/g alongside high-rate 10C continuous discharge parameters. Scaling economic limits Conversely, coal-derived alternatives utilise abundant local byproducts to achieve maximum cost reductions. Industry records show that hard carbon costs fluctuated between 60,000 yuan (8,874 USD) and 70,000 yuan (10,353 USD) per ton during 2024. Projections show these costs dropping to 35,000 yuan (5,176.50 USD) per ton. This shift accelerates the timeline for sodium-ion cost parity with lithium, setting a target baseline of 40,000 yuan (5,916 USD). Lower material costs enable the complete 6.5GWh factory setup to optimise final-cell assembly costs. The framework integrates smoothly with broader industry transitions, including the deployment of the sodium battery platform by CATL and Changan targeting entry-level vehicles. Local supply execution Localised precursors are scaling rapidly to guarantee continuous processing stock for active battery lines. Shaanxi Coal recently secured municipal approval for a 5,073,400 yuan (750,356 USD) plant conversion project to generate an annualised supply of 1,000 tonnes of hard carbon. This optimisation ensures a stable domestic component baseline for automotive supply chains looking to insulate factory networks.
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