BRIEFLY: Sodium Ion Batteries, Zeekr, MG4 Urban & more | 28 Sep 2025
EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs
Martyn Lee
4.8 • 749 Ratings
🗓️ 28 September 2025
⏱️ 4 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
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SODIUM‑ION BATTERIES NEAR LARGE‑SCALE COMMERCIALISATION http://bit.ly/42Xou36
Sodium-ion batteries are rapidly advancing from pilots toward commercial adoption, offering exceptional low-temperature performance, faster charging, and improved sustainability for heavy-duty and automotive use. Major players like CATL have already launched mass-produced compliant batteries and vehicle makers such as JAC have delivered volume production EVs with sodium cells, signaling a promising new era for affordable, eco-friendly energy storage.
Zeekr’s “Seek More” European brand campaign introduces cutting-edge EVs with ultra-fast charging and innovative design, targeting growth in new markets despite tariff headwinds. With more than 520,000 vehicles delivered and expansion plans underway, Zeekr’s proprietary 800V–900V tech and comprehensive charging ecosystem position it for international leadership.
MG has secured approval to launch the MG4 EV Urban in Australia, featuring a choice of efficient battery sizes and advanced LFP or semi-solid-state chemistries for superior range in all climates. The Chinese-market Anxin Edition’s affordable semi-solid-state technology and strong local sales illustrate MG’s successful expansion as a value leader in EVs.
GM’s donation of 59 all-electric BrightDrop vans to the Red Cross strengthens disaster response, providing emission-free, long-range support for communities in need. This initiative reflects GM’s long-term commitment to social responsibility and electrification’s contribution to humanitarian efforts.
BYD projects that one out of every five vehicles sold in 2025 will go to export markets, doubling its international reach thanks to expanded shipping capacity and a growing global lineup. The focus on bringing all China-developed models to new markets underlines BYD’s ambition to become a truly global EV manufacturer.
Chargetrip’s partnership with Octopus Electroverse streamlines EV travel across Europe by embedding advanced route planning and making 1.1 million public chargers accessibly through one app. The integration offers users cleaner, more affordable charging while major automakers leverage the tech for improved customer experiences.
China continues to be the world leader in rare-earth magnet production for EVs, offering unmatched technical expertise and cost advantages, while new facilities like Neo’s in Estonia bolster European supply security. The evolving global rare earths landscape is fostering cooperation, investment, and innovation across key regions.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's EV News briefly for Sunday, the 28th of September. Everything EV in less than five minutes. |
| 0:06.1 | If you haven't got time for the full podcast, let's get you going. So do you mine batteries are going to be one of the big technologies for 2026 and is nearing large-scale commercialization. |
| 0:16.9 | Don't get me wrong, sodium iron cars are on the road right now in China, but CATL, the world's biggest EV battery maker, have sodium iron batteries on their roadmap and are now hitting like 175 watt hours per kilogram, really key levels of energy density, where they become faster charging, improved sustainability for recycling. |
| 0:40.6 | Exceptional low temperature performance in cold climates down to minus 40 degrees C, and of course |
| 0:46.6 | making it with very common materials. |
| 0:49.9 | And so moving away from lithium-based technologies could be a new era. |
| 0:54.9 | 2026 is going to be a massive year for sodium iron technology. |
| 0:59.3 | Zika is launching a European ad campaign to tell Europeans about their vehicles. |
| 1:04.7 | They say ultra-fast charging, 800-900 volts architecture. |
| 1:08.9 | I think that's coming. |
| 1:10.5 | They've sold over half a million vehicles, |
| 1:12.3 | just not enough of them overseas. And now they're educating European buyers. MG4, meanwhile, |
| 1:18.1 | is turning up in Australia. Now, the MG4 has been around a long time and is well regarded, |
| 1:22.6 | by the way, as a very, very good chassis rear-wheel drive vehicle. However, they've completely remade it, |
| 1:29.0 | so we'll wait and see if it's good. |
| 1:30.8 | It's a front-wheel drive vehicle, |
| 1:32.6 | and it's now got approval to be sold in Australia. |
| 1:36.4 | LFP pack, I think, there. |
| 1:38.3 | But in China, they'll do a semi-solid state battery |
| 1:40.8 | with like a 5% electrolyte, tiny amount, |
| 1:44.1 | for 14,000 US dollars equivalent. |
| 1:47.6 | General Motors is next in the news. They're donating 59 of their bright drop vans to the |
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