CATL plans major sodium-ion battery upgrades by 2026, expanding applications, improving performance, and positioning them alongside lithium-ion technologies.
Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has outlined an ambitious roadmap to significantly expand and upgrade its sodium-ion battery听(SIB) portfolio through 2026, signaling a broader commercial push across multiple energy and mobility sectors. According to Chinese media reports, the company shared these plans during a supplier conference held on December 28, 2025, in Ningde, located in China鈥檚 Fujian province. At the event, CATL confirmed that sodium-ion technology will move beyond its initial niche applications and be deployed at a much larger scale, including in energy storage systems, battery-swapping infrastructure, passenger vehicles, and commercial vehicles.
This expansion marks an important strategic step for CATL as it positions sodium-ion batteries alongside lithium-ion batteries rather than as a replacement. The company described this approach as the beginning of a 鈥渄ual-star鈥� era, where sodium and lithium batteries develop in parallel and 鈥渟hine brightly together.鈥� By doing so, CATL aims to leverage the complementary strengths of both chemistries to meet diverse performance, cost, and sustainability requirements across global markets.
Earlier in 2025, CATL officially introduced its sodium-ion battery lineup under the Naxtra brand. The initial product range included two key offerings: one designed as a complete power battery solution for passenger vehicles, and another developed as a robust 24V integrated starter and parking battery for heavy trucks. These products were positioned to address long-standing operational challenges faced by conventional battery technologies, particularly in extreme climates. CATL highlighted that its sodium-ion batteries can operate reliably across a wide temperature range, from as low as -40掳C to as high as 70掳C. This capability makes them especially suitable for regions with harsh winters or intense summer heat, where lithium-based batteries often require complex thermal management systems or experience performance degradation.
From a performance perspective, CATL stated that its sodium-ion batteries have already achieved an energy density of up to 175 Wh/kg. For the company鈥檚 2026 product range, this level of energy density could enable a driving range of around 500 kilometers in standard passenger vehicle applications, narrowing the historical performance gap between sodium-ion and lithium-ion technologies. Such progress suggests that sodium-ion batteries are no longer limited to low-power or auxiliary roles, but are increasingly viable for mainstream transportation and storage uses.
Further insights into CATL鈥檚 thinking were previously shared during investor relations discussions, as reported by the technology outlet IT-home. In those briefings, CATL emphasized that sodium-ion batteries offer additional advantages beyond temperature resilience. These include a potentially lower carbon footprint and enhanced safety characteristics, both of which align well with global decarbonization goals and stricter safety standards. As a result, CATL sees broad applicability for sodium-ion batteries in both passenger mobility and commercial power systems.
Industry-wide perspectives also support the growing relevance of sodium-ion technology. A recent report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) suggested that the cost of sodium-ion battery cells could decline to as low as $40 per kilowatt-hour in the future, making them an attractive option for cost-sensitive applications such as grid-scale energy storage. However, the agency also cautioned that sodium-ion batteries are more likely to complement rather than fully replace lithium-ion batteries. IRENA noted that uncertainties remain around future capacity deployment, particularly in terms of securing consistent demand and establishing a resilient supply chain.
Overall, CATL鈥檚 2026 roadmap underscores growing confidence in sodium-ion batteries as a commercially scalable technology. By expanding applications, improving performance, and pursuing cost reductions, CATL is positioning sodium-ion batteries as a key pillar of its long-term energy strategy, alongside established lithium-ion solutions.
