Everything Electric Podcast Frozen Robot? Artificial Sun? Sodium-Ion Batteries? It's TECH IN CHINA!
Feb 20, 2026
They cover China’s cold‑weather humanoid robot walking 130,000 steps in −47°C deep snow. They discuss CATL’s new sodium‑ion EV battery and its impressive low‑temperature range. They talk about a fusion 'artificial sun' experiment that broke a key plasma density limit. They also touch on geothermal developments and tech scenes around Chinese New Year.
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Field Demo In Inner Mongolia Proved Safety
- Elliot recounts traveling to Inner Mongolia to witness CATL's sodium-ion launch in subzero temperatures.
- He describes a live demo where a sliced, fully charged cell still held charge, highlighting safety.
Sodium Batteries Retain Range In Extreme Cold
- CATL's sodium-ion batteries keep roughly 90% of range in extreme cold versus ~50% loss for lithium-ion.
- That resilience plus lower CO2 in manufacture suggests big gains for cold climates and grid storage.
Lower Cost And Safety Over Energy Density
- Sodium-ion batteries trade a bit of energy density (~175 Wh/kg) for much lower cost and better safety.
- CATL expects price parity initially, then possibly halving costs over a few years as production scales.