On June 23, 2026, at its 2026 energy storage launch event, CATL unveiled its sodium-ion battery storage system solution for grid-scale applications, branded as CATL TENER Sodium.
According to the company, the system has been thoroughly redesigned around three pillars: enhanced flexibility, higher operational stability, and improved system availability.
The CATL TENER Sodium battery energy storage system, built on CATL’s dedicated sodium-ion battery platform, achieves a maximum energy capacity of over 30MWh per single unit. Featuring a fully modular design with separate energy and power compartments, the system enables the deployment of a 1GWh storage facility with just 34 units, supporting flexible configurations for storage durations ranging from one to eight hours.
In terms of performance, the system delivers a cycle life exceeding 15,000 cycles at 25℃. Through adaptive thermal management technology, it retains over 92% of usable energy at -20℃, while maintaining a cycle life of more than 10,000 cycles even at high ambient temperatures of 45℃.
In terms of safety, the sodium-ion material system reduces swelling force by 40%, limits surface temperature to approximately 200℃ during thermal runaway, cuts gas generation by 35%, and raises the overcharge critical state of charge (SOC) threshold to 140%. Additionally, the system operates at a noise level of just 65 decibels, with auxiliary power consumption reduced to less than 1%.
To address the technical challenges posed by the wide operating voltage range of sodium-ion batteries, CATL has developed a proprietary Bi-DC bidirectional voltage control system and a dedicated Battery Management System (BMS) for this solution. Through intelligent boost technology, the system enables the Power Conversion System (PCS) to consistently deliver an optimal voltage of 690V across the full voltage range, improving round-trip efficiency (RTE) by nearly 2%.
For a 1GWh energy storage power station, this translates to several million additional kilowatt-hours of electricity generated annually. Moreover, the system is equipped with a millisecond-level self-healing mechanism that completes fault detection, isolation, and service restoration in non-faulted areas within 350 milliseconds, significantly enhancing station uptime and operational revenue.
In terms of platform compatibility, the CATL TENER Sodium system shares the same platform architecture, system interfaces, and physical footprint as CATL’s existing lithium-ion energy storage systems. Customers can seamlessly switch between sodium-ion and lithium-ion solutions on the current platform without the need for redesign or recertification, offering a flexible response to lithium price volatility.
CATL said its mass-production lines are already in place, with first deliveries in China scheduled for September this year and commercial deliveries globally starting in June 2027.
As previously reported, CATL announced in April that its “NaXin” sodium-ion battery brand would enter large-scale production in the fourth quarter of 2026, with simultaneous deployment across four application tracks: battery swapping, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and energy storage.
Separately, in April CATL signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hyperstrong, securing a three-year order for 60 GWh of sodium-ion batteries—the largest single sodium-battery procurement deal globally to date.
Source: WeChat Official Account——IT之家
Disclaimer: The content provided above is intended solely for educational and reference purposes. The original author retains the copyright to the articles, and their reproduction is aimed at facilitating learning and knowledge-sharing. If there are any concerns regarding copyright infringement, please contact us for immediate removal. We value the intellectual property rights of the original creator and encourage readers to engage with the original work.
