BOTIX Explores Marine Battery Standardization at the Fourth Sodium-Ion Battery Forum

The 2025 Fourth Sodium-Ion Battery Industry Chain and Standards Development Forum, jointly hosted by the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI) and the China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA), was held in Weihai, Shandong Province, from September 24 to 26.

Government officials, researchers, industry associations, and leading companies gathered to discuss sodium-ion battery standards, technology development, and industrial applications. BOTIX was invited to attend and delivered a keynote address titled “Development and Energy Requirements of Electric Inland Vessels.”

The forum focused on supply chain collaboration and standards development for sodium-ion batteries. With abundant raw materials, cost advantages, strong temperature adaptability, and a high safety profile, sodium-ion batteries are emerging as an important technology for the advancement of energy storage and new energy vessels.

During the keynote session, Jin Lei, Chief Product Officer of BOTIX, examined the development and energy requirements of electric inland vessels in the context of the global shipping industry’s green and low-carbon transition.

He noted that electric vessels are entering a period of accelerated growth, driven by both policy support and market demand. Drawing on its independently developed electric propulsion system, centralized electrical/electronic (E/E) architecture, and autonomous navigation system, BOTIX developed Auto Spring, the world’s first purpose-designed, all-electric inland test vessel for end-to-end autonomous navigation. The vessel demonstrates advances in energy-efficiency optimization and vessel-wide intelligence.

Addressing the battery requirements of electric vessels, Jin highlighted three priorities: safety, service life, and cost.

Marine battery systems can readily exceed 1,000 kWh in capacity, meaning that any safety incident could have far more serious consequences than one involving an electric road vehicle. Shipboard batteries must therefore provide an exceptionally high level of intrinsic safety.

As commercial assets, electric cargo vessels also require a battery service life of more than ten years to ensure economic viability. From a cost perspective, Jin noted that marine battery prices would need to fall to approximately RMB 800–900 per kWh for the initial investment in an electric vessel to approach that of a conventional fuel-powered vessel, creating the basis for a sustainable business model.

To address these challenges, BOTIX is working under the guidance of the China Maritime Safety Administration and China Classification Society, together with sodium-ion battery companies, on innovative marine battery application projects. These initiatives are exploring pathways for applying emerging battery technologies, including sodium-ion batteries, aboard vessels while supporting the development and implementation of marine battery standards.

BOTIX’s presentation highlighted its practical innovations in electric vessels and intelligent shipping while offering new perspectives on the application of sodium-ion batteries in inland shipping.

Looking ahead, BOTIX will continue to pursue innovation through collaboration, working with partners across the value chain to deepen the integration of electric vessels and energy storage technologies and accelerate the shipping industry’s green and low-carbon transition.