Key Findings
CATL and Intilion have signed an agreement to jointly develop up to 3 GWh of sodium-ion battery energy storage projects across the DACH markets (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) over a five-year period. This figure represents a development target rather than confirmed deliveries; specific projects, contract values, and procurement commitments have not been disclosed.
Technical Details
The partnership utilizes CATL’s TENER Sodium energy storage system, which was unveiled in Munich in June 2026. Technical specifications for the system include:
- Cycle Life: 15,000 cycles at 25 C and more than 10,000 cycles at 45 C.
- Efficiency and Retention: Round-trip efficiency exceeding 96.5% and capacity retention above 92% at -20 C (with Intilion noting retention above 90% at low temperatures).
- System Architecture: Modular energy blocks offering more than 30 MWh per block, supporting storage durations from one to eight hours.
- Management: Dedicated bidirectional DC voltage regulation and battery management systems tailored for sodium-ion characteristics.
Background & Context
Intilion, a member of the HOPPECKE Group based in Paderborn, specializes in integrating battery technologies for utility-scale and commercial/industrial systems. The two companies previously partnered in May 2025 to target up to 10 GWh of storage projects in the DACH region using CATL’s TENER products, though it is unspecified if the sodium-ion target is part of that framework.
CATL is aggressively expanding its sodium-ion footprint through other partnerships, including a 5 GWh plan with Alfen in Europe and a 60 GWh agreement with HyperStrong in China. CATL expects sodium-ion storage shipments to reach 1 GWh in 2026, with international deliveries starting in June 2027.
Significance & Outlook
The shift toward sodium-ion technology is driven by the potential to lower noise emissions at storage sites and reduce the environmental impacts of raw material extraction. For Intilion, the agreement diversifies its portfolio beyond lithium-ion, while CATL gains an established European integration partner to facilitate the international commercialization of its sodium-ion technology.
Get our weekly technology intelligence — free
Receive an infographic that lets you judge at a glance whether each field’s analysis report is worth reading.
Subscribe Free — Weekly Tech Intelligence
By subscribing, you’ll receive Troy-Technical’s weekly technology intelligence newsletter.
- Your email and selected fields are used only to deliver the newsletter.
- We never share your information with third parties.
- You can unsubscribe anytime via the link in each email.
See our Privacy Policy for details.
Takes about a minute · Unsubscribe anytime
