JAC Wants To Make Affordable Electric Cars
JAC Motors is working on the world’s first sodium-ion battery car China’s JAC Group, which markets the T6, T8 and X200 bakkies in South Africa , has unveiled the world’s first electric car powered by a sodium-ion battery. But what’s the big deal here? According to the carmaker, this technology could be a game-changer for the EV industry as sodium-ion batteries are cheaper than the lithium-ion units that are commonly used, and potentially more sustainable as they rely on a far more abundant resource. While the scarcity and cost of lithium have been a monumental challenge to the industry, sodium-ion batteries use cheaper raw materials and have been touted as a potential alternative that could help reduce EV production costs by 10%. There are disadvantages, however, the biggest hurdle is that they have a lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries, meaning the equivalent size battery will offer a lower range between charges. However, despite this JAC claims that its new Hua Xianz...