China: Sodium-Ion Batteries to Achieve their Breakthrough in 2026

Battery Technology China: Sodium-Ion Batteries to Achieve Their Breakthrough in 2026

2026-01-23 From Henrik Bork Henrik Bork | Translated by AI 3 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

SIMTOS (Seoul International Machine Tool Show)

The year 2026 will mark an important milestone for battery technology in China, affecting electromobility and the energy storage market in equal measure. This is what analysts in the People's Republic of China have been saying since CATL announced the large-scale series production of its sodium-ion batteries at the end of 2025.

Experts are certain that the sodium-ion battery will make its final breakthrough in China this year, thanks in part to CATL.(Image: CATL) — Experts are certain that the sodium-ion battery will make its final breakthrough in China this year, thanks in part to CATL.
(Image: CATL)

On December 28, 2025, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), China's largest battery manufacturer, announced at its annual supplier conference that it will introduce sodium-ion batteries on a large scale in 2026. This was reported unanimously by several Chinese trade media from Ningde. The new type of battery is to be produced in large quantities at several locations this year, and for several applications at once: Batteries for passenger cars and trucks, battery swap systems and energy storage.

According to market observers, the commercial mass production of sodium-ion batteries will finally begin in 2026. This is relevant for the further development of the battery industry, electromobility and the energy sector for various reasons.

Costs Will Fall in the Near Future

With this acceleration, it is foreseeable that the cost of car batteries and energy storage systems will soon fall. Lithium-ion batteries have dominated these industries for decades, but sodium-ion batteries can be produced more cost-effectively. One of the reasons for this is that lithium, which is relatively expensive and has a high environmental impact during processing, can be replaced by sodium, which is available in abundance thanks to the salt in the world's oceans. Another advantage is that they function more reliably in extreme cold, which is particularly important in the northern Chinese winter, but also in some other countries.

CATL will begin mass production of two product lines this year, namely the "Naxtra power battery" and the "Naxtra 24-volt heavy-duty start-stop integrated battery". "Both are designed for the entire temperature range from 40 °F to 158 °F," reports the Chinese technology portal IT Zhijia.

Sodium-ion batteries are also considered safe. CATL's new batteries of this type are already certified for the Chinese safety standard GB 38031-2025, which comes into force in July 2026.

Sodium-Ion Batteries Will Take Up Half of the Current Battery Market

The disadvantage of the new battery type is also known. Sodium-ion batteries have a lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries, even though there has recently been great progress in battery research and development by some manufacturers. For this reason, CATL has announced that it intends to market both technologies in parallel for the foreseeable future. With sodium-ion and lithium-ion, "two stars" are now shining in the battery industry's sky, it is said with some poetry. In the long term, CATL expects sodium-ion batteries to take over at least half of the current battery market. .

The energy density of sodium-ion batteries is already sufficient for smaller e-cars. With an energy density of 390 Wh/lb, CATL promises a range of at least 311 miles for the Naxtra Power battery. For this reason, market observers are certain that it will first become popular for cars in the medium to low price segment.

Obvious Area of Application Energy Storage

However, the largest area of application could initially be in energy storage systems. These are needed in increasing quantities in China due to the rapid expansion of solar and wind power. And this is where sodium-ion batteries are particularly competitive. Compared to vehicle batteries, storage batteries do not have to be compact. They can be larger and deliver sufficient power despite their relatively low energy density. "The most important application for sodium-ion batteries may not be the road, but the power grid," writes the MIT Technology Review.

In the past two years, Chinese battery manufacturers' sales of sodium-ion batteries have already grown rapidly. In 2024, growth amounted to 260% year-on-year. From January to September 2025, Chinese companies such as Veken Technology, HiNa Battery Technology, CATL, BYD, Jiangsu HighStar, East UPS and CNAE increased their production by around 200% to a total of six gigawatt hours.

High Growth Forecast

Explosive growth is now expected in this market segment over the next five years from 2026. "The wave of expansion for sodium-ion batteries has already begun. Global shipments are expected to exceed 100 GWh by 2028, with a market size of more than 100 billion yuan (around $14.5 billion USD)," writes Sinopec News magazine.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.

(se)