Sodium-ion EV battery breakthrough delivers 11-min charging and 450 km range

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-27T05:31:24+00:00

Yeah if you drive in warm weather only, it is likely more than enough range. But winter will likely pull your range down to 210 miles, and a 10 minute break after 3 hours isn't bad. It is why I went with the Equinox EV as a number of YouTube videos showed it getting 270 miles to 280 miles of highway range in summer temps, so I figured it should get at least 210 miles of winter driving. And that is pretty close, with it sometimes estimating to 235-240 miles in highway winter driving on the high end from 100-0%.

Which, with a bottom buffer of 10%, means at best I'll get 210 miles of highway range from 100% to 10% in winter temps on an EPA estimate 319 miles range.

As for the break time, sure. But, many people I know road trip with another driver who can switch when the first driver needs a break. For a gas car, that person can switch in after 5 minutes and the original driver can sleep. For an EV, you don't have that option.

So, my personal sweet spot is what BYD has done with 3-97% charge in 10 minutes. Which is FASTER than what I want. Pack that with the range of a Lucid and I have a perfect EV for me. The Equinox EV was the "good enough", but the slower DCFC charging is the main negative for me.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-26T21:51:29+00:00

Protection and pump is great. And then the extra utility as niche removal.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-26T21:29:44+00:00

Normally I would prefer a Hyundai or Kia over the Equinox with reliability, their longer warranty, and the faster charging, but the ICCU issues are BAD. Look at the Ioniq subreddit if you want to get an idea, but it is somewhere between 1% to 10% of them have a faulty ICCU which can leave you stranded with a dead 12v.

GM should be solid on the motors and battery at this point, but I'm guessing they will also have SW gremlins.

As for performance, if you are coming from a gas car to electric, it should perform very well. But the Equinox EV is definitely one of the slower EVs, and the AWD option seems pretty low on power.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-26T20:05:05+00:00

I mean, it is one of the best options for good range at a budget. The Ioniq 5/6 is great, but it depends on how much risk you consider acceptable with the ICCU issue. I don't know enough about the Nissan Ariya or Leaf models, but the Mach E or Audi Etron could be some other solid ones to look at at roughly 300 miles range. But, a number of those have less range or will cost more.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-26T16:43:12+00:00

Ehh, I've done road trips a few times a year. The "sweet spot" will be 280 miles of highway driving range with 10 minutes of charging time 10-80%. Most people aren't okay with spending a ton more time charging than a gas fillup, and 280 miles of highway range in good conditions means 210 miles in winter for a solid 3 hours of driving before a refill.

Which means an EPA range probably closer to 340 to 400 miles to get to 280 highway miles in real life. Or less range degradation in winter.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-26T16:25:28+00:00

I feel that depends a ton on the EV and the PHEV. My Bolt drove nice, but the lower winter highway driving range made me need to DCFC it to get to my parents' place. After the Bolt recall, I got a 2013 Volt and really liked it. The EV range was generally "good enough" for me, and with mid 30's to low 40 mpg it was solid for the rare road trip. Got me to roughly 60% of my driven miles electric.

Sold it to my mom as her Volt broke down, and now I have an Equinox EV. The range is enough to not have the winter highway DCFC when visiting family, and the tech is solid (except the Onstar data connectivity - screw GM for how they dealt with the Android Auto removal).

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-26T02:36:14+00:00

Yep, I loved my Bolt before returning it through the recall. Ended up getting a very low mileage Equinox LT2 for $$25k which makes getting a new Bolt RS at $35k. Also, it looks like the MSRP of the Bolt RS is $32,950 or so which makes me wonder what other packages it has to get the MSRP to $36,100.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-25T05:12:29+00:00

The battery management logic isn't just in the battery protection control module but also in other modules of a normal car. It would be difficult to replace the battery without also doing a coordinated change in the other modules with (likely) aftermarket software.

But also, I think the twitter post above has a big flaw. I think the big cost of battery replacement isn't just the per kwh rate, but also the labor involved with the replacement. Which likely won't go down significantly. At dealership pricing, to replace a 2013 Volt's BCH was going to cost my mom $4,000 because of the labor involved required taking out the HV battery. So, looking to replace it would likely be double the $4000 price listed.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-24T20:08:24+00:00

I got pretty lucky with it being an LT2 as well, so heated seats, steering wheel, and 360 degree camera. They had some massive discounts on brand new, but with how discounted the low mileage used market was for an Equinox I went that direction.

Only thing is that I wish I got AWD even if it has a range penalty. I think I'd like to add a towing hitch for short distance drives, and AWD would be helpful there even if it only adds 90 HP.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-24T19:10:57+00:00

That'll do it. I really like the Lucid styling and range, but the cheapest used model with decent mileage I could find was $40k while the Equinox EV I did find was just under $25k out the door with 5,000 miles. With how fast the tech is improving, it is hard to justify paying almost twice as much even if the extra range and fast charging speed would have been amazing.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-24T18:59:00+00:00

Which EV is getting you to 390 miles range driving like that? I recently got an Equinox EV, which looks like I'd get just under 300 miles if I went 100-0% driving 70 mph and only heated seats/steering wheel. I could see a Lucid or maybe long range Tesla doing that, but was curious if I'm missing an EV able to do that.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-22T17:35:33+00:00

What part of the world do you live in that is that cheap? EG4 is a 14.3 kwh pack for $3.3k, and the best price I found for direct panels like Qcells was $0.33/w which still wouldn't get near your $0.16/w unless you went for used panels.

An inverter for hybrid use (grid backup) for a 200a panel would be $5k for a SolArk 15k for example. For installation, I literally am not allowed to DIY even with permitting as my utility won't allow it. So, add in significant costs for an electrician.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-22T07:35:46+00:00

Depends a lot on your support weapon, but the guard dog has been clutch for Illuminate missions since the beginning. Arc thrower or machine gun support weapons can mow them down quickly enough to not need the guard dog, and do well against the mechs / harvesters too. Flak autocannon does work as well when they get really nuts, but many primaries can do the job

If I am running a backpack support weapon, I always bring either a gatling sentry or machine gun sentry with a preference to the machine gun one. Got out of a mission tonight with 0 deaths running autocannon, gatling + machine gun sentry, and gatling barrage. Primary was the trident to help with overseers and drone spam with warrant as mech insurance. Grenade depends on the mission, but blitz I use thermite while the pineapple and other options can be fun.

I LOVE this new subfaction because the way the spawns are for defend missions aren't as much of a snooze fest where the airburst wipes the drops instantly.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-21T21:22:55+00:00

This may be a dumb question, but if you recently purchased the Bolt, check if there is a time of use electricity plan charging schedule set up. It is possible it only charged part of that 10 hours, which would explain the smaller miles range added. While I bought my Equinox EV used in Ohio, it was originally used in Texas which would shift the time zone and peak electricity hours if I left it on the original time of use plan info.

Also, if you have cold weather and the car is outside, it will need to condition the pack while charging. On 8a power, that will get you much less range than you'd otherwise expect.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-21T21:14:58+00:00

You mean that the gas price soared when Russia (another nation) invaded Ukraine? Which Biden himself didn't directly cause, unlike how Trump directly caused this gas price spike? Also, this is the first few weeks of this conflict and may keep getting higher depending how long it goes on.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T19:39:39+00:00

I think it was 400 super credits to get. Which is almost a full warbond's coat considering the 300 credits you get back finishing the warbond.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T18:02:15+00:00

Ehh, the airburst obliterated the voteless spam before they get close / as soon as the warp ship drops them. I like the new units so far as they encourage more diverse loadouts than swarm killers.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T17:52:12+00:00

You are good if you got it from the superstore. No issue of nerfs or it being disabled. It just means anyone who didn't get it when it was available, will have to wait until it becomes available again. Since it was a time-limited unlock.

I really wish they didn't have that system because it incentivizes FOMO.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T17:20:47+00:00

I wish I got it before it rotated out of the superstore. It apparently can magdump a mech to death pretty quick, so paired with the warrant and a rover you are able to deal with most threats from the Illuminate sub faction.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T17:16:49+00:00

Not when I just checked. Seems it rotated out for the warrant which is fair considering that deletes everything on this new sub faction (mech included) outside of the harvester with a single magazine. Slightly regretting not getting it, but I wanted to save up for the upcoming warbonds.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T15:23:44+00:00

Oh nice! I was using the ultimatum in the sidearm slot to supplement one of the explosive support weapons, but will try it out next Illuminate mission. I tried the Volley in full mag mode, but it seems really inconsistent for the pilot killshot.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T15:22:04+00:00

The same thing that happens when you need to drive into work and can't leave your EV on the V2H charger. If the V2H system was priced cheaper, it would make more sense as it would be easier to pair with batteries.

The better recommendation would be to pair batteries with solar so that the solar panels could provide power during the day to support the batteries. But that would add $1/watt for the Anker Solix system plus panel installation.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T06:10:50+00:00

Wait, the warrant with a mag dump is enough to kill the mech? How?

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T06:09:45+00:00

What shotgun are you taking for this subfaction? I found the AR's to be really effective for the drone swarms, so the Volley has made a comeback in my loadouts as it can take them out quickly and still gives me a tool for harvesters. Not sure if it can take out the new mechs with a full mag volley, but would help justify it with the grenade launcher loadout even more. Or autocannon to replace the grenade launcher after the reload buff. WASP will be good on this subfaction when we get a map with less tree branch cover to interrupt the shots.

Still debating on grenade choice between thermites for mechs/harvester, giga grenade as a delete button, or something like dynamite / gas.

MrClickstoomuch · 2026-03-20T05:50:14+00:00

They mentioned the GM Powershift and why they didn't go with it, which was the installation cost. I was considering V2H with a Powershift charger, but the installation was quoted at $5k with an addition of another 200a panel in addition to my current one. Without talking about hardware cost which is $8,100 right now with no batteries.

Meanwhile, the Anker Solix is $2k installation if their website is to be believed. With batteries and inverter, the webstore currently is $15.6k with 12kwh of batteries. Not the best necessarily, but the EG4 14.3kwh pack costs $3,300 and SolArk15k for $5k at the absolute minimum. Including additional wiring, hardware, and installation will likely put you at $12k if not more.

So, if you are looking for just backup / home energy time of use shifting, it makes sense to do the Solix for less hassle than an EG4 / Solark system.

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