CATL begins mass production of 587Ah energy storage cell

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On June 10, CATL officially announced that it has started the mass production and delivery of its next-generation, high-capacity energy storage cell—the 587Ah cell.

While the industry has moved past the notion that "bigger capacity is better" for energy storage cells, CATL's 587Ah cell, following three years of rigorous R&D and testing, strikes a critical balance between regulatory compliance, system compatibility, and electrochemical performance.

A key innovation lies in the cell's space utilization. Designed for integration into mainstream 20-foot containers with 1,500V PCS voltage and power ranges, the 587Ah cell enables a streamlined system architecture. CATL has significantly reduced the number of battery modules and enclosures, cutting total system components from 30,000 to 18,000. The TENER energy storage system built on this cell complies strictly with the 45-tonne transport limit for hazardous materials, addressing long-standing issues of overweight and safety risks caused by oversized systems.

The 587Ah cell delivers improvements across core performance areas such as safety, energy density, cycle life, and system efficiency, boosting lifecycle return on investment by 5% over the previous generation.

Thanks to CATL's globally leading smart manufacturing capabilities, the new cell also sets new industry benchmarks in quality and delivery, said the company. It achieves a defect rate at the PPB (parts per billion) level, a safety control standard of 7.5 sigma, a 50% increase in production throughput, and a 57% reduction in carbon emissions.

According to CATL, the 587Ah cell demonstrates "real" value across performance, reliability, safety, and delivery:

Real performance: With a breakthrough upgrade to the lithium iron phosphate chemistry, the cell achieves an energy density of 434 Wh/L—a 10% increase over the previous generation—and enables a 25% gain in overall system energy density. Improvements in mechanical design, materials chemistry, and electrode engineering yield a round-trip efficiency (RTE) of 96.5% at launch. CATL's proprietary self-healing anionic electrolyte technology and a newly developed additive-based film-forming agent significantly extend cycle life with proven durability.

Real reliability: By addressing traditional challenges like self-discharge, CATL enhances reliability through innovations in material science, structural design, precision data modeling, and stringent manufacturing controls. The fault rate of the 587Ah cell is an order of magnitude lower than that of stacked-cell formats.

Real safety: The cell features a three-dimensional safety architecture composed of a fire-resistant electrolyte, non-diffusive anode, and heat-resistant separator. It successfully passes critical tests such as overcharging, thermal runaway, and nail penetration, as well as China's mandatory national standards GB/T 36276 and GB 44240.