Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) (SZSE: 300750) plans to begin customer deliveries of its first sodium-ion energy storage systems in September.
The company revealed the timeline during a sodium-ion battery industry event in China. Lin Jiubiao, the company’s chief technology officer for energy storage solutions, said sodium-ion batteries are moving from development into large-scale deployment.
CATL also expects sodium-ion battery shipments to reach the gigawatt-hour scale in 2026, marking a major commercial milestone for the emerging technology.
The announcement follows several years of investment in sodium-ion technology. Additionally, it signals growing confidence that sodium-based batteries can compete with established lithium chemistries in selected markets.
Researchers first began developing sodium-ion batteries in the 1970s. However, lithium-ion batteries quickly became the dominant technology because they delivered higher energy density and stronger overall performance.
For decades, sodium-ion batteries remained largely confined to laboratories and pilot projects. Meanwhile, manufacturers continued refining lithium-based technologies and building global supply chains.
Recent advances in battery materials have improved sodium-ion performance. Furthermore, manufacturers have achieved better cycle life, lower costs and greater production scalability.
CATL entered the sodium-ion market in 2021 when it introduced its first sodium-ion battery. Subsequently, the company expanded research and development efforts while preparing the technology for commercial deployment.
In April 2025, CATL unveiled its second-generation Naxtra sodium-ion battery. Additionally, the company outlined plans to use the technology in passenger vehicles, commercial transportation, battery-swapping networks and stationary energy storage systems.
Industry participants say declining raw material costs are improving the economics of sodium-ion batteries. Furthermore, manufacturers continue to reduce production expenses as output volumes increase.
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Sodium-ion batteries have advantages of lithium batteries
Suppliers also report that sodium-ion battery materials are beginning to benefit from economies of scale. Those advantages helped drive the rapid growth of lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries during the past decade.
As manufacturing capacity expands, producers continue lowering costs across the supply chain. Consequently, sodium-ion batteries are becoming more attractive for commercial energy storage projects.
One important development involves hard-carbon anodes, a critical component in sodium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, manufacturers have moved hard-carbon production to industrial scale, strengthening the technology’s supply chain.
Sodium-ion batteries offer several advantages over lithium-based alternatives. Most notably, they use sodium, one of the world’s most abundant and inexpensive elements.
That abundance reduces dependence on lithium supply chains, which can face resource constraints and price volatility. Additionally, lower-cost raw materials could help reduce battery costs over time.
Energy storage developers have shown increasing interest in sodium-ion technology. Furthermore, many view it as a practical option for large-scale storage projects where affordability and resource availability matter more than maximum energy density.
As CATL prepares its first commercial deliveries, the industry will gain an important test of sodium-ion technology’s ability to perform at scale. Subsequently, shipment growth in 2026 could provide a clearer picture of how quickly the technology can expand beyond early deployments.
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