CATL Confirms September 2026 for First Sodium-Ion Battery Deliveries, Targets Gigawatt-Hour Scale by Year-End

CATL has officially announced it will begin delivering sodium-ion energy storage systems (ESS) in September 2026, aiming for gigawatt-hour (GWh) scale shipments within the year.

This commercialization is backed by a large 60 GWh supply contract, mass production readiness from key suppliers, and passing China's new stringent EV battery safety standards.

Sodium-ion batteries are gaining traction due to significant cost advantages, such as using abundant aluminum instead of expensive copper, and superior performance in cold temperatures.

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CATL, the world's largest battery manufacturer, is set to officially begin the commercial era of sodium-ion batteries in September 2026.

The timing for this move is no coincidence; it's built on a solid foundation. First, CATL has secured a massive 60 GWh multi-year supply agreement with energy storage integrator HyperStrong. This anchor order provides clear demand visibility and de-risks the initial production ramp-up. Second, the supply chain is ready. Key materials suppliers for cathodes and anodes, like Ronbay and Wanhua, have already entered mass production, ensuring a stable flow of components. Third, CATL's sodium-ion battery, 'Naxtra', has already passed China's new and rigorous EV safety standard (GB 38031-2025), removing a critical regulatory hurdle for its adoption.

So, what makes sodium-ion batteries so compelling? The advantages are twofold: technology and cost. Technologically, they are known for their enhanced safety and excellent performance in cold weather, a weakness for some lithium-ion chemistries. CATL has also cleverly designed a 'One Shell, Two Cells' system, an enclosure that can fit either sodium-ion or lithium-ion cells. This lowers the integration risk for manufacturers, allowing them to switch between chemistries easily.

However, the most significant advantage is cost. Sodium is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, making it inherently cheaper than lithium. A key structural benefit is the ability to use aluminum foil for the negative current collector instead of copper. As of mid-June 2026, copper costs over four times more than aluminum per ton. This simple material substitution creates a durable cost advantage that is hard for traditional batteries to match.

This push is also happening amid surging demand. China is aggressively expanding its 'new-type energy storage' capacity, with national goals targeting over 180 GW by 2027. The country is already leading global installations, creating a massive domestic market hungry for cost-effective and reliable storage solutions like sodium-ion batteries. With all these factors aligned—secured demand, a mature supply chain, regulatory approval, and clear cost-performance benefits—CATL is poised to make sodium-ion a mainstream technology, starting with the energy storage sector.

ESS (Energy Storage System): A device or group of devices that stores energy, typically electrical, for later use. It's like a giant rechargeable battery for a power grid, factory, or home.
GWh (Gigawatt-hour): A unit of energy equal to one billion watt-hours. It's a massive amount of energy, often used to measure the capacity of large-scale power plants or battery storage facilities.
Cathode/Anode: The two electrodes in a battery. The anode is the negative terminal and the cathode is the positive terminal. The flow of ions between them is what generates electricity.