Chinese automaker set to debut first mass-produced electric vehicle powered by unique battery technology: ‘Stranger pairings’

A Chinese vehicle manufacturer is set to launch a new electric car that could significantly change the trajectory of the clean transportation sector.

According to CarNewsChina.com, the JAC Yiwei has seen models come off the production line already, and it represents the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle powered by a sodium-ion battery rather than the conventional lithium-ion power pack.

JAC, which is backed by Volkswagen and the Chinese state, said deliveries of the vehicle will begin in January.

While lithium-ion batteries are denser than sodium-ion versions, meaning they can store more energy, the latter brings a number of crucial benefits.

“Sodium-ion batteries will become an important battery type, complementary to [lithium ion phosphate] batteries, and a low-cost solution that promotes the popularization of mass electric vehicles to masses,” chairman of Yiwei Xia Shunli told CarNewsChina.com.