Asian Tech Press -- China-listed Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL), Tesla Inc's battery supplier, formally launched self-developed sodium-ion batteries on Thursday afternoon.

According to CATL's introduction, the first generation of sodium-ion batteries developed by the company, has reached an energy density of 160Wh/kg for a single cell, which is currently the highest level in the world.

Charging only 15 minutes at room temperature, the battery can reach 80% of the power. And it can still maintain a discharge rate of over 90% at a low temperature of -20°C. Also it can achieve more than 80% efficiency with its battery energy storage systems (BESS).

The top Chinese EV battery maker said that through precise control of battery management systems (BMS), the newly launched sodium-ion battery can enable the mixed sharing of lithium and sodium batteries in series and parallel, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Overall, the energy density of the first-generation sodium-ion battery is slightly lower than that of the current lithium iron phosphate battery, CATL said at the online conference. However, in terms of low-temperature performance and fast charging, the first-generation sodium-ion battery has obvious advantages, especially in high power application scenarios in alpine regions.

CATL said that the energy density of its next-generation sodium-ion battery will exceed 200Wh/kg, and it it has started the industrialization layout of sodium-ion battery and plans to form a basic industrial chain in 2023.