CATL’s sodium‑ion battery breakthrough cuts costs and boosts performance

Chinese battery maker CATL launched the TENER Sodium ESS, the first field‑validated sodium‑ion energy‑storage system (BESS). The company secured enough cathode and anode material for more than 10 GWh and plans to ship the first units in China from September 2024, with global distribution slated for June 2027. Production capacity is targeted at 40 GWh by 2026.

A separate report shows the cost of CATL’s sodium‑ion cells fell to US$0.051‑0.059 per Wh (about $51‑59 /kWh), comparable to low‑cost lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) batteries. The cells delivered to Changan Automobile achieve 175 Wh/kg and a claimed 400 km range, while maintaining over 90 % capacity at –20 °C and operating down to –40 °C. These specifications make sodium‑ion chemistry viable for entry‑level electric vehicles and for data‑center power‑backup applications that need rapid response and durability.

Analysts view the move as a potential catalyst for cheaper electric‑vehicle models and for scaling stationary storage in AI‑intensive data centers, while noting that the technology still faces higher technical complexity than LFP and may remain concentrated among a few manufacturers.