China develops sea salt battery technology
“China has developed a battery that is based on sea salt.”
Summary
China has successfully developed and begun commercializing sodium‑ion batteries that use sodium sourced from sea salt. Major manufacturers such as CATL are producing these batteries for electric scooters and upcoming electric vehicles, confirming the existence of a sea‑salt‑based battery technology.
Sources 60 searched
- In China, battery makers bet big on sodium in move away from critical minerals | Reuters
March 16 - As the rest of the world tries to catch up with China in making lithium-ion batteries, Chinese manufacturers have already moved into a new battleground: sodium-ion, a technology that is set to revolutionise battery supply chains.
- How electric scooters are driving China's salt battery push
But these Vespa-like scooters, ... used in electric two-wheelers. Instead, their batteries are made from sodium, an abundant element that can be extracted from sea salt....
- How electric scooters are driving China's salt battery push - BBC Future
But these Vespa-like scooters, ... used in electric two-wheelers. Instead, their batteries are made from sodium, an abundant element that can be extracted from sea salt....
- How Peak Energy is using table salt to break China's battery stranglehold - Nikkei Asia
Peak Energy is working on a battery storage system that does not use lithium.
- Sodium-ion battery - Wikipedia
CATL claimed that the battery passed rigorous safety tests (e.g., compression, penetration) without fire or explosion risks. In September of 2025, the Naxtra sodium-ion battery passed China's new national standard certification (GB 38031-2025), validating its rapid 15-minute fast-charging capability and safety across extreme temperatures for future EV integration.
- Sodium-ion batteries: Should we believe the hype? - C&EN
Alsym’s battery matches the performance of LFP at roughly 70% of the cost while eliminating fire risk and dependence on foreign supply chains, Chatter says. Reza Younesi, cofounder and board member of the Swedish sodium-ion start-up Altris and a professor at Uppsala University, agrees that sodium ion can succeed in such applications. “Na ion is no longer a niche technology; it is already being commercialized in China, and there are no fundamental barriers preventing large-scale production elsewhere,” Younesi says.
- CATL sodium-ion battery aims to improve EV winter range loss | Scientific American
A common element found in table salt may hold the key to powering China’s next wave of electric vehicle (EV) adoption. Cars featuring a sodium-ion battery, an emerging technology, are slated to go on sale in the country in mid-2026, according to the battery’s maker, the Ningde, China–based company Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), and the vehicles’ manufacturer, the Chongqing, China–based firm Changan Automobile.
- Made from common salt and 50% cheaper than lithium, the new Chinese battery promises a range of 500 km and could revolutionize electric cars starting in 2026. - CPG Click Oil and Gas
These are abundant and inexpensive materials. The result is a battery up to 50% cheaper than current lithium ones. And with surprisingly similar performance. ... The sea has stopped just warming and has started pushing storms towards the continent: ...
- China's water battery hits 120,000+ cycles, can beat lithium by decades
The new battery uses what the team calls “organic” electrodes with neutral, non-toxic electrolytes. According to the team, the new tofu-brine-based battery is capable of 120,000+ charge cycles, and is basically saltwater-level safe.
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