On June 22, 2026, CATL officially unveiled its Tener Sodium-Ion energy storage system at a product launch event in Munich, Germany. This system targets key industry issues such as flexibility, operational stability, and long-term cost-effectiveness.
Key technical highlights include a fully modular design with a rated energy capacity exceeding 30MWh. Each module weighs under 42 tons, enabling a 1GWh installation to be built using just 34 modules.
The system integrates five core technological innovations:
- Extended lifespan: Delivers 15,000 cycles at 25°C, providing a system life of 25–30 years based on a 70% State of Health (SOH) threshold.
- Wide temperature adaptability: Using dipole wide-temperature technology, it retains over 92% capacity at -20°C and supports over 10,000 cycles at 45°C without extra insulation or forced cooling.
- Intrinsic safety: Reduces cell expansion force by 40%, lowers gas generation by 35%, and maintains a thermal runaway surface temperature of about 200°C (roughly 60% lower than lithium-ion batteries). It is designed to be fire and explosion-proof even under extreme conditions.
- Energy efficiency: An optimized top-ventilation design and efficient liquid cooling cut the system’s self-consumption rate from the industry average of 2% to 1%.
- Community friendly: Operating at 65dB—10dB quieter than traditional equipment—it is suitable for deployment near load centers.
In terms of operational intelligence and reliability, CATL has developed a proprietary bidirectional voltage control Power Conversion System (PCS) that adapts to the sodium-ion battery’s 1.5–3.65V range, stabilizing output at 690V. This improves Round Trip Efficiency (RTE) by nearly 2%. Additionally, the system features a millisecond-level self-healing capability that isolates faults and restores power to unaffected areas within 350ms, reducing potential downtime losses.
Regarding commercialization and availability, CATL has established a complete supply chain for sodium-ion batteries, with mass production capabilities for anode and cathode materials. The company is expanding production with 40GWh of capacity in Fuding and plans for an additional 160GWh in Jining. The Tenor system is compatible with existing lithium-ion storage platforms, allowing for seamless integration without redesigns. Domestic delivery in China is scheduled to begin in September 2026, with a target of 1GWh in shipments by the end of the year, followed by a global rollout in 2027.
