China has started applying a consumption tax to lithium-ion batteries while exempting sodium-ion, solid-state, and fuel cells through 2028. The tax starts at 2% in September 2026 and rises to 4% a year later. That gives sodium-ion a temporary policy edge, though it does not mean the chemistry is cheaper than LFP today. Hina Battery is acting on the window. It plans a 10 GWh sodium-ion plant in Wuhan, with a 3 GWh first phase starting construction in early 2027. The company is also working with Chengli on sanitation trucks and has already supplied batteries for a FAW Jiefang heavy truck and a mining truck. The FAW truck kept over 90% usable capacity at minus 40C. Sodium-ion still faces real limits: around 145 Wh/kg energy density and hard-carbon anode costs. The tax break helps, but the commercial case will be decided by heavy-duty and short-route applications where low-temperature performance and high utilization matter more than pack size.
