Electromobility Changan Integrates Sodium-Ion Batteries from CATL Into Its Electric Vehicles

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CATL

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Changan wants to drive forward sodium-ion battery technology as part of its global battery strategy. The Chinese car manufacturer is relying on CATL's Naxtra batteries, as the company announced at its "Changan SDA Intelligence Update & Global Launch of Sodium-Ion Battery Strategy" event in Yakeshi.

With up to 79 Wh/lb, the energy density of the CATL Naxtra battery is currently one of the highest energy densities of today's production-ready sodium-ion batteries. Vehicles equipped with sodium-ion batteries are systematically tested under extreme conditions, with tests covering both performance limits and system safety. Even in extreme cold, sodium-ion battery systems offer high performance. They demonstrate a stable discharge capability, are convincing in terms of safety and offer high performance in low temperature environments. Testing was also carried out at temperatures of around -40°F.

Extreme Tests Confirm Reliability

The Chinese car manufacturer carried out various extreme stress tests that went beyond the national specifications for safety standards and system safety. Tests such as pressure, drilling and sawing tests demonstrated strong inherent stability without causing fire, smoke or explosions.

The event also focused on the next evolutionary stage of SDA Intelligence, which is a proactive safety framework that is more than a well-known passive safety system and enables proactive, AI-controlled vehicle stabilization. During the live extreme cold tests in Yakeshi, Avatr and Changan vehicles, including the CS series, Changan Deepal and Changan Nevo, were subjected to various real-life scenarios under extreme low temperature conditions.

In contrast to conventional laboratory simulations, these tests focused on evaluating intelligent driving behavior and chassis control in unpredictable, low-friction natural environments.

For example, the Avatr 12 mastered a simulated emergency lane change on an icy road after a tire blowout. The Changan Nevo Q05—which is due to be launched in Europe at the end of this year —used ACC to detect obstacles on slippery ice and perform a controlled emergency stop.

Focus on Driver And Passenger Safety

Driver and passenger safety at Changan is based on a validation approach with various critical tests. Behind this approach is a robust test system and a laboratory cluster that provides the basis for comprehensive safety in all scenarios at the car manufacturer.

For the hardware tests under real conditions, Changan has built the Western Automotive Proving Ground with an area of around 0.9 square miles. The total investment for this amounted to around 431 million US dollars. The proving ground has 14 test tracks and more than 70 types of road surface. The annual test mileage of over 12.4 million miles corresponds to around 500 trips around the earth.

For software testing, the company operates a laboratory for intelligent vehicle safety technology, known as the Changan SDA Laboratory. The laboratory covers more than 400,000 virtual simulation scenarios, with a daily mileage of more than 2.1 million miles in intelligent driving simulations.

Together, these stringent testing and inspection systems and the laboratory capacities form the technological basis for the system safety of SDA Intelligence. They ensure a reliable and integrated safety guarantee from the outset for each of the manufacturer's vehicles, which drivers and passengers can rely on from day one.

Testing Under Different Conditions Worldwide

The event in Yakeshi is just the starting point. The 2026 global test phase also includes tests in Southeast Asia to check durability in high humidity and in the Alps for chassis tuning at high altitude. In Eurasia, Changan will also carry out winter tests with a view to reliability in ice and snow, in which case the Avatr 12 will be used as the test vehicle. In Latin America, the car manufacturer is planning a cross-country drive from Cancún to Mérida in Mexico, where the focus will be on long-distance reliability. (se)

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