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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.
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
China has developed EV battery technology using all-solid-state batteries that may be the key to unlocking longer range, faster charging, and overall, more EVs.
According to a report from China Central Television (CCTV), scientists achieved three breakthroughs that could be key to unlocking the next-generation battery tech and allow a 100 kg battery pack to deliver over 1,000 km (620 miles) of range.
PSR Analysis: It’s great to see progress in solid state battery technology leading to cutting weight and cost, increasing usable space inside the vehicle and improving handling and efficiency. But the key here is that it isn’t who makes it first, it’s who makes it better, cheaper and more efficiently, and the likes of CATL and BYD have proved that they make it better. PSR
Guy Youngs is Forecast and Technology Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research
Lithium metal batteries have become the cornerstone for future power systems due to their high energy storage capacity. Now, Chinese scientists have developed a new battery system that could enable lithium cells to operate safely for thousands of hours, an advance that could lead to better batteries for electric vehicles and power grids.
However, the current liquid electrolytes in these cells pose several risks, including leakage and combustion, and the growth of lithium metal inside batteries into needle-like or branch-like structures during charging (called dendrites), can compromise battery safety and performance.
All-solid-state batteries may be the key to unlocking longer range, faster charging, and overall, more efficient electric vehicles. While America steps back from EVs, scientists in China have made a series of breakthroughs, and overcome several hurdles that have been holding the new EV battery tech from hitting the market.
According to a report from China Central Television (CCTV), scientists achieved three breakthroughs that could be key to unlocking the next-generation battery tech and allow a 100 kg battery pack to deliver over 1,000 km (620 miles) of range.
