Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) announced that its first sodium-ion battery energy storage systems will be delivered to customers in September, with annual shipments at the gigawatt-hour level expected in 2026. This schedule was disclosed by the company’s domestic energy storage solutions chief technology officer, Lin Jiubiao, at a sodium-ion industry event in China. It provides one of the clearest commercialization timelines yet for sodium-ion technology.
Sodium-ion batteries have been under development since the 1970s but have historically trailed lithium-ion in energy density, cycle life, and overall performance. CATL entered the field in 2021 with its first-generation sodium-ion cells and introduced its second-generation Naxtra chemistry in April 2025. The company plans to deploy the technology across passenger and commercial vehicles, battery-swapping systems, and stationary energy storage applications.
The September delivery will mark the first large-scale deployment of CATL’s sodium-ion energy storage systems. Over the course of 2026, the company expects to achieve GWh-level shipments, supporting broader adoption across multiple sectors. The announcement follows reports of accelerating sodium-ion programs by major manufacturers in response to rising lithium costs.
Falling material costs remain a key driver of commercialization. Suppliers at the industry event noted that sodium-ion cathode materials are following a cost-reduction path similar to early lithium iron phosphate batteries. Hard-carbon anodes have reached industrial-scale production, with costs projected to decline from 60,000–70,000 yuan per tonne in 2024 to 35,000–40,000 yuan per tonne in 2026, and longer-term targets below 25,000 yuan. Unlike lithium-ion, sodium-ion batteries rely on abundant sodium resources, reducing dependence on constrained lithium supply chains.
Commercial agreements are emerging alongside these developments. Energy storage integrator HyperStrong plans to accelerate sodium-ion deployments and develop lithium-sodium hybrid demonstration power stations in 2026. CATL and HyperStrong have signed a three-year supply agreement covering 60 GWh of sodium-ion battery systems.
Separately, CATL’s EnerD+ energy storage products received China’s first national carbon footprint certification for lithium battery products, underscoring the company’s readiness for evolving carbon disclosure requirements. According to China EV DataTracker, CATL installed 88.58 GWh of batteries in Chinese electric vehicles from January through April 2026, maintaining a market share between 45% and 50%.
Source: Car News China
