CATL Unveils Sodium-Ion EV Battery, Expands €7.3B Hungary Factory

Chinese battery manufacturer CATL is set to revolutionize the electric vehicle (EV) battery industry with its new sodium-ion battery, which promises to be half the price, last five times longer, and offer leading energy density with extreme weather protection. Alongside this, CATL is customizing battery production at its €7.3 billion factory in Debrecen, Hungary, to meet shifting European demand, producing not only ternary lithium-ion batteries but also lithium iron phosphate and sodium-ion cells. The Debrecen plant, expected to start full-scale production by late 2025 or early 2026, will have a capacity of 100 GWh, enough to power two million EVs, and will produce two tailored battery packs: a long-life variant offering up to 758 km range and a fast-charging variant providing nearly 478 km range after just 10 minutes of charging. These innovations aim to strengthen CATL's position as a key supplier to European automakers like BMW, Volkswagen, and Stellantis, competing directly with rivals such as BYD. CATL's expanding European footprint includes its first plant in Germany and reflects its commitment to accelerating the green transport transition by designing products tailored to European market needs.