Camel Group Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Stock Exchange: 601311.SH) said its 12V sodium-ion battery division was selected for the preparatory phase of a project with a major European automaker. The project will assess the company’s sodium-ion technology during the automaker’s original-equipment development and verification process for next-generation low-voltage applications. It builds on Camel Group’s engineering development of cylindrical sodium-ion battery samples and small-batch production capacity, as well as the adoption of its 12V lithium-ion batteries by major European automakers. Sodium-ion batteries (rechargeable batteries using sodium ions) are attracting interest in vehicles because of raw-material availability, low-temperature performance and potential service life. Camel Group has more than 40 years of low-voltage battery experience and is the lead drafting organization for an IEC international standard covering 12V sodium batteries for automotive start-stop applications. The proposal was unanimously approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission’s IEC/TC21 technical committee and formally entered the international standardization process. The European OEM (original equipment manufacturer) project is expected to provide further validation of Camel Group’s technology and its ability to adapt products to European automotive requirements.