CATL unveils 587 Ah battery energy storage cell

China’s CATL, the world’s leading battery maker, has officially showcased its new 587 Ah high-capacity battery cell, which will be integrated into its next-generation TENER energy storage system.

This new battery cell boasts an energy density of up to 430 Wh/L and according to the manufacturer, offers superior safety performance compared to traditional small battery cells while maintaining ultra-high energy efficiency.

While impressive, this energy density and cell capacity are not unheard of. Chinese manufacturers have been actively competing developing high-capacity battery energy storage cells, searching for the next sweet spot in the post-300+ Ah era.

For instance, Gotion recently unveiled its new 7 MWh, 20-foot container, utility-scale battery energy storage system. This new product is based on 587 Ah battery cells, with an energy density of more than 430 Wh/L. The capacity of a single battery cell stands at 1.87 kWh. It has a cycle life of more than 12,000 cycles and comes with an expected calendar life of more 25 years, according to Gotion.

Meanwhile, Hithium said that several battery energy storage system integrators have already begun incorporating its 587 Ah cell into their platforms. The Chinese battery energy storage specialist believes this new specification is well-positioned to become an industry benchmark for lithium iron phosphate (LFP)-based systems.

CATL’s next generation utility-scale product based on ultra-high capacity battery cells will be part of its TENER series of products first unveiled in 2024. Its flagship system featured 6.25 MW capacity in a 20-foot equivalent unit container. At the time, CATL described TENER as the world’s first mass-producible energy storage system with zero degradation in the first five years of use.

The manufacturer said its next generation product will feature biomimetic SEI film technology, which reduces active lithium loss, increasing the total throughput of the entire cell by 48% over its life cycle, further enhancing the economic efficiency of the energy storage system. CATL expects it to drive an internal rate of return (IRR) increase of 2% to 3%.