China Uses Coal to Lower Electric Car Battery Costs

Chinese automotive manufacturers are using coal to reduce the cost of sodium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The industry turned to coal after initial attempts to use biomass from coconut shells proved unsustainable due to import dependencies and insufficient domestic supply.

Though seemingly counterintuitive for green technology, this strategy addresses a key component cost: the carbon anode, which represents 10 to 20% of a battery’s mass. Coal, specifically anthracite, yields a significantly higher carbon recovery rate, over 45%, compared to around 2.5% from agricultural waste like coconut shells.

This optimization has lowered the price of hard carbon to under 30,000 yuan per ton, making sodium-ion cells financially competitive. While sodium-ion batteries have lower energy density than lithium-ion, limiting vehicle range, they are already being used in urban models like those from Yiwei, a JAC sub-brand. China aims to establish an independent supply chain for these batteries and dramatically reduce manufacturing costs.