Sodium-ion batteries have crossed from lab to grid in 2026, yet the economics dont yet match the hype. CATL signed a 60 GWh deal with HyperStrong in April, and provincial operators in Guangxi and Jiangsu contracted more than 100 MWh in 2025. The supply is real; the price is not cheap.
CATLs Naxtra and TENER Sodium products are now shipping, said CATL on its WeChat account, after improvements to energy density and moisture control solved production bottlenecks. At the Renqiu, Hebei tender in September 2026, sodium-ion systems bid at an average of about $153 per kWh, against $79 per kWh for lithium iron phosphate in the same 100 MW / 400 MWh project, according to CNESA via Battery-Tech Network. Its not clear this price gap will hold.
BYD began building a 30 GWh sodium-ion plant in Xuzhou in January 2024. By October 2026 the company still ties its mass-production date to demand, while CATL is already shipping. That split shows how one chemistry moves forward while others wait on order books.
The chemistrys promise is raw-material security, not cost parity today. Sodium is abundant and its price is less volatile than lithium, and cells offer a wide temperature window that reduces cooling costs. For stationary storage, thats a workable trade-off. For EVs, its still too heavy and low-density to compete.
Solid-state is even further behind the headline. EVTank counted 8.0 GWh of solid-state shipments in 2025, up 51.9% year on year, but every cell was semi-solid, a hybrid with liquid electrolyte beside a mostly solid one. All-solid-state mass production is a 2027 target at best, with Samsung SDI aiming for H2 2027 in Ulsan. Toyota has moved its date from 2020 to 2023 to 2026 to 2027-2028, and Quantumscape's 2024 target is now past. In this field, a 2027 date is a target, not a schedule.
Natron Energy, the US pioneer, ceased operations in September 2025 after failing to raise funding, abandoning a planned $1.4 billion factory in North Carolina. The failure is a warning: funding gaps kill gigafactories before they build a single cell. The company had hardware on the bench but could not bridge to volume production.
Germany is trying a different path. Fraunhofer FFBs PreFab is running and its Fab is under construction in Mnster, with the Na.Ion.NRW, Safe.SIB, and SIB:DE consortia developing drop-in sodium-ion lines for existing lithium-ion plants. BMW and Jungheinrich joined the second phase in 2026. The plan isnt to out-price China; its to secure a domestic supply chain.
For buyers now, the question isnt whether sodium-ion exists. Its whether the premium is worth the supply diversity. CATL has shipped; HiNa has delivered 100 MWh grids; Peak Energy signed a 4.75 GWh supply deal with Jupiter Power to run through 2030. The chemistry won 2026. Whether it wins 2027 depends on the price curve.
CATL targets 1 GWh of cumulative sodium-ion storage shipments by the end of 2026, part of a 60 GWh agreement over three years. Peak Energys deal with Jupiter Power runs from 2027 to 2030 for up to 4.75 GWh. HiNa Battery deployed its NaCR and NaCP cells in K150-K350 packs for storage, trucks, and mining. The buyers are not chasing a technology. They are buying insurance against lithium price spikes and supply-chain shocks. Sodium is abundant and its price is less volatile than lithium, which is why the chemistry is winning contracts even at a price premium. Yet every contract goes to storage applications, not cars, because the energy density is simply too low to meet OEM demands. Buyers should not expect a sudden price crash.
Sodium-ion cells are similar in design to lithium-ion cells, which means existing production lines could theoretically switch over. The catch is that dropping a new chemistry onto old lines requires new cathodes, new electrolytes, and new quality-control checks. That is what Fraunhofer FFBs drop-in strategy actually tests.
Peak Energy, based in the US, offers GS1.1 and 3.1 MWh sodium-ion systems for grid storage and has been live since 2025. Gotion, from China, builds Gnascent cells rated up to 261 Wh/kg for EV and storage use. Tiamat, from France, sells 18650 and prismatic cells for tools, automotive, and stationary applications. Eight makers now have named sodium-ion products, and four of them are already in delivery or operating, according to Battery-Tech Networks directory.
The Price Gap Is Real
The $153 versus $79 per kWh figure comes from a single tender, not a global benchmark. Still, it shows sodium-ion is not yet cheap. LFP has scale, established recycling, and a mature supply chain. Sodium-ion has none of those at the same level, and its energy density remains lower. The gap will narrow, but not overnight.
CATL said it improved energy density and resolved moisture control issues in its manufacturing. The company did not disclose the value of the HyperStrong deal when it announced it on April 27, 2026, according to Reuters. Even with scale, sodium-ion starts from a cost disadvantage against chemistry that has had a decade of volume production.
Why Europe Is Building Its Own Line
Fraunhofer FFB is betting on drop-in manufacturing, not new fabs. The Na.Ion.NRW project tests whether sodium-ion cells can run on existing lithium-ion lines. If it works, European makers skip the capital cost of greenfield plants. The SIB:DE consortium has 27 partners now, including Varta and GROB, and aims to identify scalable material systems by 2026.
The Safe.SIB project focuses on non-flammable electrolytes and large-format pouch cells for stationary storage. A stationary demonstrator is intended to lay the technological foundation for robust, cost-effective energy storage without the fire risk that plagues lithium-ion packs.
The SIB:DE consortium has 27 partners now, including Varta and GROB, and aims to identify scalable material systems by 2026. In the second phase, BMW and Jungheinrich joined, focusing on industrial production and recycling potential. Germany wants to build an independent value chain for sodium-ion production and development.
What Comes Next
CATL targets 1 GWh of cumulative sodium-ion storage shipments by the end of 2026, part of a 60 GWh agreement over three years. Samsung SDI targets mass production in H2 2027. The chemistry is here; the factory scale isnt. Buyers in 2026 should treat sodium-ion as a hedge, not a replacement. In 2027 it might be both. The timeline depends on how fast the cost curve moves.
Reuters reported on CATLs sodium-ion contract. More battery coverage is available at the battery desk.