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CATL

EV and grid batteries, LFP, sodium-ion, cell-to-pack

CNpublicest. 2011catl.com (opens catl.com)Checked 25 Sep

The brief

Analyst view
  • EV battery leader with ~37-38% global market share in 2024-2025 (SNE Research).
  • Launched Naxtra, a lithium-free 175 Wh/kg sodium-ion cell, in April 2025 for cars and storage.
  • Raised ~$4.6B in a May 2025 Hong Kong listing, partly to fund its plant in Debrecen, Hungary.

Technical approach

As reported
Chemistry

Cheap LFP that charges fast

LFP cells are cheaper and more stable than nickel-based ones. CATL's Shenxing cells are tuned for very fast (4C+) charging.

Pack

Packs without modules

Qilin skips modules and puts cooling plates between cells, so cells fill ~72% of the pack and stay cool.

Sodium-ion

Sodium instead of lithium

Sodium is abundant. It stores less energy than lithium but is cheaper, safer, better in the cold, and can use LFP factory lines.

Manufacturing

Highly automated factories

Gigafactories with defect rates CATL puts in parts per billion underpin its cost lead.

Programs

CATL, two programs

Updated 16 Jul 2026
Naxtra sodium-ionCATL's second-gen sodium-ion battery for passenger EVs, truck starter batteries and stationary storage. It uses no lithium, nickel or cobalt.PilotNextVolume production rampUpdated 16 Jul 2026View program →Qilin (CTP 3.0)CATL's third-gen cell-to-pack design: no modules and cooling between cells, so packs hold more energy and charge faster.ScalingUpdated 16 May 2023View program →
Research · Proto · Pilot · Deploy · Scaling

Research & demos

2 items

Open technical problems

Open · Active · Partial
  • Sodium-ion energy densityActive research

    At 175 Wh/kg, sodium-ion trails high-nickel lithium cells (~250-300 Wh/kg), limiting range in bigger cars.

  • Making solid-state at scaleActive research

    CATL signals small-batch solid-state output around 2027, but the solid electrolyte is hard to make in bulk.

Upcoming catalysts

Company-wide
  • Jun2027Tener Sodium storage system begins global rolloutNaxtra sodium-ionby ~9 mo

Peers

Batteries · 1

Company & funding

HQ
CN
Founded
2011

Partners & customers

2 customers · 2 partners

People

Key people
Primer