The sodium battery sector shows unusual strength, with technological breakthroughs driving the overall acceleration of industrialization.

Ask AI · What are CATL’s specific plans for the large-scale application of sodium batteries in 2026?

On April 7th, the A-share sodium battery sector remained active, with multiple concept stocks such as Blue Lithium Core (002245.SZ), Shengquan Group (605589.SH), and Chuan Yi Technology (002866.SZ) surging intraday, quickly boosting sector enthusiasm.

The core catalyst for this rally comes from major technological breakthroughs and industrialization milestones announced consecutively at the industry level. According to reports, a team from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully developed a self-protecting, polymerizable non-flammable electrolyte (PNE), achieving the world’s first complete thermal runaway prevention in an ampere-hour-level sodium-ion battery. This technological breakthrough has ignited bullish sentiment among A-share investors.

As a new electrochemical energy storage technology that combines cost advantages, excellent low-temperature performance, and high safety, sodium batteries are entering a critical window from technical validation to large-scale application. CATL (300750.SZ) and other leading companies have designated 2026 as a key year for large-scale deployment of sodium batteries. Upstream and downstream industry chain companies are accelerating technological layout and capacity building. Commercialization in core scenarios such as energy storage, passenger vehicles, and commercial vehicles continues to accelerate. The pace of technological route iteration, capacity deployment, core customer cooperation, and performance realization has become the main focus for investors.

Leading the First Year of Large-Scale Deployment of Sodium Batteries

Behind the bullish trend in the sodium battery sector is the industry’s accelerating development and gradual realization of large-scale applications. In recent years, sodium batteries have formed clear competitive advantages in niche segments such as energy storage, electric two-wheelers, start-stop power supplies, and below A0-level new energy passenger vehicles, owing to their similar structure to lithium batteries, along with high power, excellent low-temperature performance, strong safety, and controllable costs. The commercial application scenarios are continuously expanding.

By 2025, sodium batteries are expected to achieve large-scale application in these core scenarios, with energy storage being the largest market, accounting for over 50%. Industry shipments are projected to nearly double year-over-year. According to Xinluo Sodium, shipments of sodium batteries are expected to further increase significantly in 2026, potentially doubling the scale of 2025.

As an industry indicator of the speed of sodium battery technology development and industrialization, CATL is one of the earliest domestic leading companies to deploy sodium batteries. Its every move is seen as a barometer of industry development. At the supplier conference held at the end of 2025, CATL explicitly stated that in 2026, sodium batteries would be widely promoted in areas such as battery swapping, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and energy storage. This statement is regarded as an important signal that large-scale application of sodium batteries is officially starting, with further progress expected across multiple scenarios.

Technologically, CATL announced in April 2025 that its new sodium battery achieved multiple performance breakthroughs. Regarding commercialization, several projects involving CATL’s sodium batteries have been implemented, with large-scale mass production expected by mid-2026. In commercial vehicles, its sodium battery products are expected to be first used in JAC Motors’ commercial vehicles, with mass production targeted for July 2026. In passenger vehicles, the world’s first mass-produced sodium-powered car, equipped with related sodium technology and showcased at the Changan Auto conference in February 2026, will have a pure electric range of 400 km, support 5C fast charging, and is expected to be officially launched in mid-2026. Collaborations between CATL and GAC Aion are also progressing steadily.

Industrialization Benefits Accelerate, Material Sector Becomes the First to Benefit

The comprehensive acceleration of sodium battery industrialization is transmitting upward along the industry chain, with battery materials becoming the first to benefit from industry dividends. This segment has also been the focus of recent institutional research. Multiple research reports indicate that by 2026, the sodium battery industry will experience convergence of technological routes, expansion of demand applications, and leading companies driving growth, with upstream core materials set to benefit first from industry scale-up.

From the perspective of battery composition, sodium batteries are similar to lithium batteries, mainly including cathodes, anodes, electrolytes, separators, and current collectors. However, there are significant differences in specific material systems, which create development opportunities and investment value in the sodium battery supply chain. In terms of value distribution, cathode materials are the core of sodium battery technological iteration and the largest revenue-generating segment across the entire industry chain, directly benefiting from the full-scenario large-scale application of sodium batteries in 2026.

As a key component determining energy density, cycle life, and overall cost, cathode materials are central to sodium battery technological evolution. Currently, the industry mainly adopts three technical routes: layered oxides, polyanionic compounds, and Prussian blue. In 2025, polyanionic routes, with their ultra-long cycle life and high safety, rapidly expanded in energy storage applications, gradually establishing industry dominance.

A Caijing reporter’s review of annual reports and announcements found that, besides CATL, more than a dozen domestic companies have made substantive progress in sodium batteries, with overseas giants also accelerating their deployment. For example, Xinwanda (300207.SZ) responded to investor inquiries about cycle life, rate performance, capacity planning, and customer cooperation, stating that it has technical reserves for sodium-ion batteries but has not yet achieved mass production.

HuaYang Co., Ltd. (600348.SH) and Zhongke Haidai are actively deploying in industrial energy storage and emergency power for coal mines. Pylon Technologies (688063.SH) mentioned in its 2025 annual report that its sodium-ion battery technology has achieved multi-scenario applications, including soft-pack batteries for start-stop systems delivered in batches, and high-temperature cycle life exceeding 8,000 cycles for large aluminum shell sodium batteries in energy storage. Pritt (002324.SZ) employs various polyanionic systems mainly for storage, start-stop power supplies, and data centers.

Looking ahead to 2026, with ongoing technological iteration and breakthroughs, the three major technical routes of sodium batteries will continue to evolve rapidly. The adaptability of different routes to various application scenarios will further highlight, and companies with core patents and large-scale production capabilities will hold early advantages. For capital markets, as industrialization progresses, the investment logic of the sector will gradually shift from industry prospects to substantive performance realization.

(This article is from Caijing)