CATL's Sodium Batteries Reach Mass Production: Here's What Changes for EVs and Data Centers
CATL and the energy storage system integrator HyperStrong have signed a strategic agreement for the supply of 60 GWh of sodium-ion batteries over three years: this marks a world record as the largest order of this technology ever recorded. The announcement serves as public certification that the Ningde company has resolved all critical issues regarding mass production: "We are now able to make large-scale deliveries," declares CATL in an official statement.
The Numbers of the Agreement
HyperStrong, listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and with a global installed capacity exceeding 40 GWh, is CATL's first strategic partner for sodium-ion batteries destined for stationary storage. The 60 GWh in this agreement corresponds to about half of the total volume of ESS batteries that CATL sold in 2025, a year when sales in the energy storage segment stopped at 121 GWh, compared to 541 GWh for electric vehicle batteries. As reported by CarNewsChina, the 60 GWh agreement is part of a broader contractual framework: in November 2025, HyperStrong had already formalized the commitment to purchase at least 200 GWh total from CATL for the period 2026-2028. The collaboration covers joint research and development, product application, and operational project realization.
The agreement comes six days after CATL's Tech Day, during which CTO Gao Huan publicly listed the four manufacturing barriers that have now been overcome: extreme humidity control, gas generation in hard carbon production lines, aluminum foil adhesion issues, and the production of self-generating anode masses. Key technologies developed include angstrom-level pore regulation, molecular anchoring of surface water, and dynamic adaptive formation processes. In total, CATL claims to have systematically addressed over a hundred engineering challenges before achieving the consistency necessary for GWh volume production.
Sodium-Ion Batteries: Specifications
Sodium-ion batteries, marketed under the Naxtra brand, achieve an energy density of 175 Wh/kg and operate within a thermal range of -40°C to +70°C. For stationary energy storage, CATL has adopted a platform-based design with physical dimensions identical to lithium-ion cells: a choice that ensures direct compatibility with the existing supply chain, significantly reducing adaptation costs and implementation times compared to proprietary solutions.
ESS and the Push from Data Centers
Sodium batteries show objective advantages for long-cycle storage: better thermal adaptability, longer life cycle at high temperatures, less cell expansion under stress, and greater safety stability compared to lithium-ion under many operating conditions. The accelerated expansion of ESS infrastructure, driven by data centers and AI computing, makes these parameters particularly relevant: sodium is much more abundant than lithium, and its availability is not subject to the same geopolitical pressures. To delve deeper into the technical context of CATL's Tech Day and the latest news on sodium-ion batteries, it is useful to read this in-depth analysis on the production challenges CATL claims to have overcome.
The Automotive Sector: Changan Nevo A06
On the electric vehicle front, the first serious application is the Changan Nevo A06, presented in February 2026 as the world's first mass-produced EV equipped with sodium-ion batteries. Mass production is expected by the fourth quarter of 2026, with projected ranges of up to 600 km CLTC once the supply chain matures, and between 300 and 400 km for hybrid and extended-range configurations, a range sufficient to cover over 50% of the NEV market needs according to CATL's projections.