CATL drives European rollout of sodium‑ion storage and electric‑truck battery‑swap networks

Chinese battery giant CATL announced two major European initiatives. In partnership with Dutch energy firm Alfen, CATL will install 5 GWh of sodium‑ion battery storage across Europe, with the first units slated for July 2026. The companies say sodium‑ion technology "is the next step in how we think about energy storage — more versatile, more sustainable," and it reduces reliance on lithium, cobalt and nickel while offering safer operation in colder temperatures.

Separately, CATL has teamed up with British Octopus Energy to build a network of automated battery‑swap stations for electric trucks throughout Europe. The system allows a depleted truck battery to be exchanged for a fully charged unit within minutes, shifting battery ownership to the network operator and lowering the upfront cost of electric trucks. The partnership aims to reshape the European road‑transport market by addressing range anxiety and long charging times.

Both projects illustrate CATL’s strategy to expand beyond battery manufacturing into integrated energy‑storage and transport ecosystems across the continent.