Battery manufacturer CATL and system integrator HyperStrong have entered into a 60GWh sodium-ion battery order deal, which CATL said marks a ‘turning point in the industrialisation of sodium-ion batteries’.
CATL announced the ‘three-year, 60GWh sodium-ion battery order cooperation agreement’ on its WeChat account today (27 April).
It makes HyperStrong CATL’s first strategic partner for sodium-ion in battery energy storage system (BESS) applications, and the system integrator will co-operate closely with CATL in technology research and development, product application, and project implementation.
CATL said that the agreement shows it ‘has overcome the challenges of the entire sodium-ion battery mass production chain and has the capability for large-scale delivery’. Specifically, it has solved the problems of energy density and process problems of foaming and moisture control during manufacturing.
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It was only a few weeks ago at the Beijing expo ESIE 2026 that CATL revealed its sodium-ion cell specifically for BESS.
Sodium-ion has better thermal management, operating temperature and deep discharge capabilities than lithium-ion, but lithium-ion has a longer cycle life and far superior energy density. Lithium-ion is currently cheaper, but sodium-ion has a lower theoretical cost thanks to cheaper raw materials.
The tech is seen to have a lot of promise as an alternative to lithium-ion, but so far has only been deployed at scale in China. A 720MWh order for US-based sodium-ion BESS startup Peak Energy last year appeared to mark a turning point, while the scale of CATL and HyperStrong’s represents an even bigger step change.
CATL is the world’s largest battery OEM while HyperStrong is the largest Chinese energy storage system integrator. The pair already announced a 200GWh, decade-long partnership in November last year, covering all battery types (but was assumed at the time to be lithium-ion). HyperStrong is mainly active in China, but is expanding globally.
More analysis and reaction to the news to follow.
