CATL Signs Record 60 GWh Sodium-Ion Battery Deal with HyperStrong
Key Takeaways
- ▸CATL signed a record 60 GWh sodium-ion battery deal with HyperStrong—the largest sodium-ion order ever placed—demonstrating the technology is production-ready at commercial scale.
- ▸Sodium-ion batteries deliver compelling economics (sodium is ~1,000x more abundant than lithium) with performance suitable for grid storage: 160 Wh/kg energy density, 97% conversion efficiency, and 15,000+ cycle life.
- ▸CATL's sodium-ion cells use identical form factors to lithium-ion products, enabling plug-and-play compatibility with existing infrastructure and dramatically reducing deployment costs and timelines.
Summary
CATL, the world's largest battery maker, has signed a record-breaking 60 GWh sodium-ion battery supply agreement with energy storage integrator HyperStrong, marking the largest sodium-ion battery order ever placed. The three-year deal represents half of all energy storage batteries CATL delivered in 2025 and is positioned as proof that CATL has overcome the manufacturing challenges around sodium-ion battery mass production, including issues with energy density, foaming, and moisture control.
Sodium-ion batteries offer a compelling alternative to lithium-ion for grid-scale energy storage applications, using sodium instead of lithium as the charge carrier. Sodium is roughly 1,000 times more abundant in the Earth's crust and significantly cheaper to source. CATL's energy storage cells feature an energy density of about 160 Wh/kg, 97% system energy conversion efficiency, over 15,000 cycle life at 80% capacity retention, and can operate across a wide temperature range of -40°C to 70°C. Critically, CATL designed the cells with identical dimensions to its lithium-ion products, enabling immediate compatibility with existing supply chains.
The agreement builds on a broader framework established in November 2025 where HyperStrong committed to purchasing 200 GWh of battery cells through 2035. Industry observers have likened the deal to a 'DeepSeek moment' for the energy storage sector, signaling that mature, cost-effective sodium-ion solutions have finally achieved commercial scale. CATL is simultaneously advancing sodium-ion technology into electric vehicles, with mass production targeted for end of 2026.
- The global sodium-ion market is projected to reach $1.08B in 2026 (15.8% CAGR), positioning CATL—which already controls 39.2% of the global EV battery market—to potentially dominate this adjacent segment.
