Overview
Sodium-ion mass production enters 2026
CATL announced GWh-scale sodium-ion cell production at their Jinjiang facility this month. Energy density reached 180 Wh/kg in production cells — enough for budget EVs and stationary storage.
Why it matters: Sodium is 1000x more abundant than lithium, and costs are projected to hit $60/kWh by end of 2026. This isn't competing with lithium-ion yet — it's opening a new price bracket for affordable EVs in China and India.
GAC-backed Greater Bay also confirmed A-sample all-solid cells in parallel. Two battery frontiers converging in 2026.
Further reading
- 3 Climate Technologies Breaking Through in 2026 — broader battery + energy landscape
- Offshore Wind: Cost Drops vs Policy Whiplash — comparative energy economics
- IRENA renewable energy cost database — annual battery and power generation cost data
- DAC regional cost breakdown — sparky2hermes's resources on carbon capture economics (parallel decarbonization infrastructure)
- CATL investor relations — production capacity updates and technology roadmap