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Learn more about the latest in new battery technology and discover the next generation in battery and energy storage with expert analysis by Power Systems Research analysts.
Recently in Australia, Protrans Solutions conducted a successful trial with a battery-electric refrigerated trailer charged by onboard solar panels on the 1,100 miles Sydney-Brisbane round trip without using diesel to refrigerate the trailer unit. This demonstrates a depot-to-depot cold-chain capability.
But that’s easy, I hear you say, its Australia and its sunny. Well, how about cold and snowy Canada? Transport Canada’s Zero-Emission Trucking Program, recently published a study which monitored over than 200 thousand kms (124,224 miles) of diesel and electric truck data over a year of operations in the Montreal-area. There findings were staggering with nearly $200k of savings per electric truck
Researchers from Newcastle University in the UK, and the Fire Service Academy in Poland, have undertaken a detailed comparison of three key battery technologies: conventional lithium-ion, emerging sodium-ion (SIB), and solid-state batteries (SSB)
They report that high energy lithium types (such as NMC battery variants) are more prone to fire risks (often referred to as thermal runaway) and these can become structural unstable when highly charged, leading to a potential fire risk. They also noted that thermal stability declines as nickel content increases. However, Lithium iron phosphate (LFP), is more robust and can thermal runaway even above 300 °C, making it less prone to fire risks. However, it offers lower voltage and energy density.
BYD has launched its second-generation Blade Battery and Flash Charging Technology—yet another disruptive technology milestone in new energy vehicle history—officially ushering the industry into the “Flash Charging Era.”
The second-generation Blade Battery achieves breakthroughs across multiple dimensions, delivering ultra-fast charging performance: it can charge from 10% to 70% in just 5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in only 9 minutes at normal temperature, while even in extreme cold conditions of -30°C, it takes merely 12 minutes to charge from 20% to 97%—just 3 minutes longer than at room temperature.
On the strategic front, BYD has launched the “Flash Charging China” initiative, with plans to establish 20,000 flash charging stations by the end of 2026, including 2,000 highway flash charging stations, while partnering with operators to build an additional 18,000 cooperative flash charging stations. In terms of mass production rollout, the technology will debut in the first batch of 10 models including the Yangwang U8 2026 Edition, Datang, and Song Ultra EV, with flash charging technology cascading down to mainstream 150,000 yuan-class vehicles within the year; first-batch vehicle owners will be entitled to one year of complimentary flash charging privileges.
In the February 2026 issue of the Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research and authored by Guy Youngs, you’ll find articles on Tesla committing suicide by shifting away from auto productions, Germany’s new stance on hydrogen, new 4X power sodium-ion batteries, Europe’s hydrogen bus experiment, and Mercedes introducing a new solution to cut pollution. Read these articles and more in the February Alternative Power Report today. PSR
Guy Youngs is Forecast and Technology Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research
The sodium-ion battery formula has some advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries, including the use of non-flammable, abundant materials and the potential for cutting costs.
One of the areas for improvement is the anode materials. The graphite used in lithium-ion batteries is not a candidate because it can’t store sodium. The consensus alternative has been hard carbon, a form of carbon that doesn’t devolve into graphite under high heat. However, hard carbon can inhibit capacity during the anode formation stage, when the battery is being manufactured
A team of researchers at BAM (the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing) in Germany, noted that the loss of capacity during the manufacturing process is the result of a chemical reaction between the electrolyte and the anode. The BAM solution involves a customized form of activated carbon, applied over a core of sponge-like hard carbon in a thin layer. “Activated carbon is commonly used as a filter, and that’s what it does here, allowing sodium ions to reach the hard carbon core while keeping the electrolyte out,” reports Clean Technica.
PSR Analysis: Sodium-ion batteries have been lingering around the fringes of the vehicle electrification movement for years. A breakthrough moment may have finally arrived as the hurdles to commercial application have fallen. If indeed this activated-carbon trick holds up in large-scale production, it might become the biggest news in battery tech in recent years. PSR
Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Leadat Power Systems Research
In the January 2026 issue of the Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research and authored by Guy Youngs, you’ll find articles on Tesla’s very weak 2025 sales in Europe, CATL’s winning position in the shipping electrification race, CATL’s upgrade to its sodium-ion battery, and the possibility that China is running out of critical battery materials. Read these articles and more in the January Alternative Power Report today. PSR
Guy Youngs is Forecast and Technology Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research
A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) notes that while it is still uncertain whether sodium-ion batteries (SIB) will become a disruptive alternative to lithium-ion (LIB) technology, they could offer significant cost-saving opportunities in applications such as electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage.
SIBs hold a potential advantage over LIBs due to the abundance and accessibility of sodium, a material that is considerably cheaper than lithium. IRENA says the price of sodium carbonate between 2020 and 2024 ranged between $100/ton and $500/ton, while the price of lithium carbonate over the same period of time ranged between $6,000/ton and $83,000/ton.
CATL’s batteries and energy management systems are already operating in roughly 900 ships and vessels, a figure that on its own should reframe how maritime decarbonization is discussed.
Shipping is, by its nature, conservative for structural reasons tied to safety, long asset lifetimes, and unforgiving certification regimes, so deployment at this scale signals that electrification is no longer a pilot exercise but operating infrastructure.
Heli Industrial Vehicles (Thailand) Co., Ltd.’s broke ground for its industrial vehicle assembly and lithium battery pack production factory at the Navaan Nong Khuang Industrial Park in Chonburi Province, Thailand Nov. 27, 2025.
To consolidate and expand its leading position in the global market, actively advance its global strategic layout, and build a global production and supply system, Anhui Heli Co., Ltd. has established a strategic partnership with Siam Motors Parts Co., Ltd., a local Thai enterprise, to jointly establish Heli Industrial Vehicles (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Through this joint venture, the two parties will co-invest in building a new manufacturing base in Thailand, creating an integrated production and sales platform for industrial vehicle complete machines and lithium battery systems.
China is replacing its diesel trucks with electric models faster than expected, potentially reshaping global fuel demand and the future of heavy transport. In 2020, nearly all new trucks in China ran on diesel. By the first half of 2025, battery-powered trucks accounted for 22% of new heavy truck sales, up from 9.2% in the same period in 2024, according to Commercial Vehicle World, a Beijing-based trucking data provider. The British research firm BMI forecasts electric trucks will reach nearly 46% of new sales this year and 60% next year
Heavy trucks carry the lifeblood of modern economies. They also contribute significantly to global emissions of carbon-dioxide: In 2019, road freight generated a third of all transport-related carbon emissions. Trucking has been considered hard to decarbonize since electric trucks with heavy batteries can carry less cargo than those using energy-dense diesel
