Sodium batteries have emerged, Why doesn't BYD focus on its core business?

As the global power battery industry continues to engage in intense competition over lithium battery technology, BYD has quietly opened up a new front - being the first to introduce commercial sodium-ion batteries in the forklift sector. When the outside world expected BYD to play its sodium-battery trump card in the passenger car market, it was the first to apply this highly anticipated technology to seemingly traditional industrial vehicles. Is this a cautious trial before the technology is put intopractice, or a strategic move with ulterior motives?

Byd's decision to choose forklifts as the first vehicle carrier for sodium batteries may seem "unconventional", but in fact, it precisely avoids direct confrontation with lithium batteries in the passenger car market.

The electrification rate of the forklift market has exceeded 65%, but the vast majority of the market share is being rapidly occupied by lithium batteries. At this juncture, BYD forklifts have entered the market with sodium batteries, not merely as a simple replacement, but rather targeting the "experience pain points" of lithium batteries. The limitations of lithium batteries in terms of low-temperature performance, fast charging capacity, cost fluctuations and resource security precisely become the break through point for sodium batteries to establish differentiation.

Although forklifts may seem unassuming, they are an excellent scenario for verifying battery reliability: stable working conditions, high usage intensity, and strict safety requirements. Here, the battery's lifespan, safety and full-cycle cost are more important than mere endurance data.

When sodium batteries are installed inforklifts, they will have unique advantages that distinguish them from lithium batteries:

1. Ultra-long lifespan: ≥ 8,000 cycles, andthe capacity retention rate can still reach 80%.

2. Ultra-high safety: The gas production due to thermal runaway is 60% lower than that of lithium batteries, and the gas production rate is 33% lower.

3. Ultra-wide temperature range: Discharge ambient temperature -40 to 60 ℃, charging ambient temperature -20 to 60 ℃.

4. Ultra-high rate, at room temperature, it supports up to 6C discharge and 4C charging.

5. High reliability: After over 16 years of global forklift market application and rigorous working condition verification, it has defined a new height in safety and reliability.

Taking advantage of the core strengths of sodium batteries, BYD forklifts clearly understand this. Firstly, it leverages the wide temperature range of sodium battery clls (especially their low-temperature performance) to promote sodium-powered forklifts to applications in northern regions and cold storage facilities. Although the current cost of sodium battery materials is relatively high, with the development of the industrial chain, the cost of sodium battery cells will gradually approach that of lithium iron phosphate batteries.

By accumulating real scene data in the forklift field and verifying the technical stability, BYD forklifts have also played a demonstration role for sodium batteries to enter the commercial vehicle market and even specific passenger vehicle markets in the future.

At present, the power battery industry is deeply Mired in "lithium resource anxiety", and price fluctuations and geographical distribution have become uncertain factors in the industrial chain. The resource reserves of sodium are hundreds of times that of lithium and are widely distributed.

Byd's current push for the commercialization of sodium batteries is more like a declaration of "supply chain autonomy". It does not deny lithium batteries, but rather builds a dual-track energy matrix of "lithium + sodium" to enhance its own risk resistance in the face of resource fluctuations and technological route changes. This is also in line with BYD's consistent vertical integration strategy. From battery raw materials to vehicle manufacturing, and now to the layout of the new sodium-battery track, BYD is building an energy ecosystem closed loop that is more difficult to be shaken by external fluctuations.

Although the current energy density of sodium batteries still lags behind that of lithium iron phosphate batteries and it is difficult for them to break into the high-end passenger car market, this does not prevent them from establishing an advantage in specific fields. According to industry forecasts, by 2035, sodium batteries are expected to account for approximately 10% of the global battery market, corresponding to ademand of over 365GWh. This is an incremental market that is graduallypenetrating from energy storage, two-wheelers, commercial vehicles to low-costmodels.

Byd's choice to enter the market withforklifts is precisely a pragmatic market strategy - not chasing after glories,but seeking the most commercially viable entry point and gradually cultivating technology and supply chain. Byd forklifts' "neglecting its core business" is more like a well-considered "breakthrough on the flanks". It does not compete on parameters in the main battlefield oflithium batteries, but rather enters a stable and continuously growing market by leveraging the differentiated characteristics of sodium batteries in terms of safety, temperature range, resources and cost. In the process, it verifies technology, forges the supply chain and builds a good reputation.

While the industry is still debating "when will sodium-sodium batteries replace lithium batteries?", BYD has already given its own answer with forklifts: not to replace, but to complement. It's not subversion, but symbiosis. This sodium-battery journey that began with forklifts is also a microcosm of the diversified future energy landscape. Byd is once again at the forefront of its layout.