South Korea’s LG Energy Solution is advancing the construction of a pilot production line for sodium-ion batteries at its Nanjing, Jiangsu factory in China to validate mass production feasibility, according to an ETNews report on Tuesday.
LG Energy Solution will conduct R&D for next-generation batteries at its Daejeon Technology Research Institute, then produce a prototype, Sample A, at its key mother plant in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, the report said.
Subsequently, the company will produce Sample B (a finished product) and Sample C (a mass-production-ready product) at its Nanjing facility, the South Korean media outlet reported.
Given China’s leading position in the sodium-ion battery market, LG Energy Solution is believed to be pursuing localized production in China due to its robust supply chain, including cathode materials, the report said.
The South Korean battery maker plans to complete the pilot production line construction and commence sample production within the year, which is expected to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation batteries, ETNews said.
“We are reviewing various options for building a sodium-ion battery pilot line,” an LG Energy Solution representative stated, adding, “Nothing has been finalized yet.”
Sodium batteries began gaining significant attention in China following CATL’s (HKG: 3750, SHE: 300750) announcement of its first-generation sodium-ion battery on July 29, 2021.
At the time, lithium prices surged in China due to soaring electric vehicle (EV) demand, positioning sodium batteries as a potential alternative to lithium batteries.
However, as lithium prices subsequently plummeted, sodium batteries began to fade from the spotlight.
Last month, CATL said at a supplier conference that sodium batteries would see large-scale adoption in battery swap, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and energy storage by 2026.
This reignited widespread discussion about the battery technology following months of significant increases in lithium carbonate prices.
In April 2025, CATL unveiled its sodium-ion battery brand, Naxtra, at its Tech Day event, initiating exploration of lithium battery replacements under this new brand.
CATL said that Naxtra passenger vehicle batteries achieve an energy density of up to 175 Wh/kg — the highest among global sodium-ion batteries — comparable to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
Beyond CATL, Chinese startups including Zoolnasm and Hina Battery are also developing and deploying sodium battery production capacity.
LG Energy Solution, one of the world’s largest battery manufacturers, achieved a power battery installation volume of 96.9 GWh from January to November 2025, marking an 11.1% year-on-year increase, according to data from South Korean market research firm SNE Research.
It maintained its third-place position during this period with a 9.3% market share, down from 11.1% in the same period of 2024 while unchanged from January-October 2025.
This article was first published by Phate Zhang on CnEVPost, a website focusing on new energy vehicle news from China.
