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News › The first sodium-ion passenger carNews · 5 February 2026

The first sodium-ion passenger car

Why it matters: Sodium is cheap and plentiful, which could make small EVs cheaper. Expect it in China first; there's no Australian timing yet.

Breakthroughs

A CATL battery pack on display
Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

CATL and Changan revealed what CATL calls the world's first mass-produced car with sodium-ion batteries. CATL quotes up to 400 km from a 45 kWh pack, with far better cold-weather performance than LFP: over 90% of capacity kept at -40°C.

Coming to Australia ›

Source: CnEVPost

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How we work it out, and our sources

Weekly cost = the car's energy use × 250 km × your electricity or fuel price, with 90% of charging at home. Prices are list prices at November 2026; check with the dealer.

  • Electricity: 2026–27 default rates (AER, Victorian Default Offer, state retailers). Public charging: Sydney network prices, July 2026.
  • Petrol and diesel: capital-city daily averages from state government price feeds, via FuelRadar, 12 November 2026. Diesel for Hobart, Canberra and Darwin is estimated from the national fall.
  • Cars: maker figures via CarExpert, Drive, CarsGuide and EV Central. Plug-in electric range is taken as 80% of the claim.
  • Servicing: published capped prices; marked as an estimate where not yet published (CarExpert comparison).
  • Tyres: an EV set lasts about 35,000 km, a petrol or hybrid set 50,000 km (RACV); prices from Gridly.
  • Home charger: about $2,000 installed ($1,000–$3,000). Novated leases: PwC summary.

Printed from EV Pick Australia · evpick.com.au. Prices and costs are estimates; check with the dealer. © 2026 EV Pick (T. Crouch). For personal use only; not to be copied, republished or sold without permission.

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