{"id":60131578,"date":"2026-05-07T20:53:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T19:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=news_digest&p=60131578"},"modified":"2026-05-07T21:01:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:01:40","slug":"chinese-company-signs-worlds-largest-sodium-ion-battery-storage-deal","status":"publish","type":"news_digest","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/chinese-company-signs-worlds-largest-sodium-ion-battery-storage-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese company signs world\u2019s largest sodium-ion battery storage deal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

China\u2019s CATL, the world\u2019s largest electric vehicle battery maker, and energy storage company HyperStrong signed a three-year 60 gigawatt hour sodium-ion battery storage agreement on 27 April, making it the largest-scale deployment of the sodium-ion battery yet, according to a company press release<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the price of lithium<\/a> rising significantly since the end of 2025, some commentators<\/a> predict large-scale commercialisation in the sodium-ion battery industry will take place in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sodium-ion batteries are generally regarded as a more environmentally friendly<\/a> and sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Most chemical components used in sodium-ion batteries are non-toxic and renewable<\/a>, while lithium-ion batteries contain components that when improperly disposed of cause environmental pollution<\/a>. Sodium is also nearly 1,200 times more abundant than lithium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, development of sodium-ion batteries faces setbacks such as low energy density and high cost due to the lack of economies of scale. At present, the cost of sodium-ion battery cells is CNY 0.5-0.7 per watt hour (USD 0.074\u20130.1), higher than that of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which cost CNY 0.3-0.5 per watt hour, HiNa Battery Technology\u2019s Li Shujun told Sina Finance<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CATL has significantly improved the energy density of sodium-ion batteries, with those developed for passenger vehicles reaching 175 watt hour per kilogram, according to Beijing Daily<\/a>. This energy density remains lower than the 200-350 range of lithium-ion batteries, however, limiting their use in high-end passenger vehicles and long-range commercial vehicles, the outlet noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But performance of sodium-ion batteries could gradually approach that of LFP batteries over the next three to five years, Chen Renjie, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology, told the outlet.\u00a0Against the backdrop of China\u2019s policy support<\/a> for new energy storage development, alongside rising lithium prices and continued energy supply shocks<\/a> stemming from the Gulf conflict, momentum for advancing sodium-ion batteries seems likely to remain strong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Dialogue Earth\u2019s previous <\/em>analysis<\/em><\/a> of China\u2019s position in the global race for alternative EV batteries.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

China\u2019s CATL and HyperStrong signed a three-year 60 GWh sodium-ion battery storage agreement, the largest-scale deployment of the sodium-ion battery yet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60006649,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_has_post_settings":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[757],"tags":[13444,50042207,18133,50042426],"country":[20000110],"digest-collection":[50039911],"class_list":["post-60131578","news_digest","type-news_digest","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-energy-storage","tag-lithium","tag-sodium","country-china"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChinese company signs world\u2019s largest sodium-ion battery storage deal | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"China\u2019s CATL and HyperStrong signed a three-year 60 GWh sodium-ion battery storage agreement, the largest-scale deployment of the sodium-ion battery yet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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