One of the biggest battery producers in the sector is BYD, the second-largest EV manufacturer in the world behind Tesla. It just began supplying Tesla with cost-effective iron phosphate batteries for the entry-level Model Y, but shortly, sodium-ion cells will join its portfolio of less expensive chemistries.

A joint venture agreement has been entered into by the sodium-ion battery manufacturer FinDreams, which BYD separated from a few years ago, and Huaihai Holding Group. The two will use BYD's manufacturing know-how to build the largest sodium-ion battery facility for tiny electric vehicles, while Huaihai's huge network will handle the sales and marketing.

In China, BYD recently unveiled the $15,000 Seagull, a potential Tesla Model 2 rival that was first expected to use sodium-ion batteries but was instead introduced using LFP cells. It appears that even smaller electric cars, like the E10X, a miniature result of VW's collaboration with JAC, would be the first ones to obtain the lowest battery chemistry in mass production.

The Sehol E10X can go 157 miles (252 km) on a single charge and charges in 15 minutes thanks to Na-ion cells made by HiNa Battery. These cells have an energy density of 145 Wh/kg. The largest battery manufacturer in the world, CATL, created a sodium-ion battery with a 160 Wh/kg density that, according to recent statements, will be used in Cherry's models initially.