The Race for Next-Generation High-Capacity ESS Battery Cells Has Begun amid A New Round of Structural Adjustment in ESS Industry

In 2025, the ESS industry entered a new phase of structural adjustment.

On one hand, the prices of ESS battery cells and systems continued to decline, technology rapidly iterated, and ESS installations grew rapidly. Under the pressure of extreme cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and differentiated competition, ESS battery cells, as core components, have accelerated their iteration from 280Ah and 314Ah to larger capacities.

On the other hand, in February this year, the "Document No. 136" was implemented, and China has cancelled "mandatory energy storage allocation". The ESS industry will face a real market-oriented challenge. Transitioning from policy-driven "you must install" to market-driven "I want to install," ESS projects not only require low prices but also high quality, and the value chain of ESS will be comprehensively restructured.

Against this backdrop, although the current "price war" remains fierce, the industry has generally reached a consensus that, starting from June 1 this year, incremental projects will face market-oriented pricing, and the rapid expansion cycle labeled by the "price war" will eventually come to an end. The ESS industry will begin to truly "compete on value," and industry players will shift from price competition to competing on product and service capabilities, driving the industry to place greater emphasis on R&D investment and technological innovation, and the market will become more rational.

Who Will Define the Next Generation of High-Capacity ESS Battery Cells?

From the perspective of high-capacity battery cells themselves, for battery cell enterprises, high capacity can reduce the BOM and manufacturing costs of battery cells, and the low allocation of parts is conducive to improving production line profits; for ESS owners, high-capacity battery cells can improve land use efficiency, reduce operation and maintenance costs, and increase investment returns.

Currently, while 314Ah ESS battery cells have become the industry mainstream, battery companies have not yet unified the specifications and standards for the next generation of battery cells. Therefore, for enterprises, early research and definition of the next generation of ESS battery cell technology, and seizing the high ground of capacity standards, will be key ways to enhance their competitive voice in the next round.

At a recent large-scale ESS exhibition held in Beijing, Battery China observed on-site that 320Ah, 392Ah, 435Ah, 587Ah, 600Ah+, and even 1000Ah+ capacity battery cells have made a large-scale "debut." Building high-capacity battery cells and ESS systems remains the current trend in industrial development, but battery companies have provided their own answers to the optimal solution for the next generation of battery cell specifications and standards.

Some industry insiders believe that the 587Ah battery cell model may occupy a higher market share in the future. "587Ah" is a capacity concept first proposed by CATL in the industry based on its Tianheng ESS system. It is reported that the proposal of the 587Ah capacity concept originated from CATL's comprehensive, high-standard, and high-quality research and empirical verification.

A CATL representative stated that, from the perspective of battery cell design, the effective utilization of container space is an important consideration. CATL's battery is designed based on the mainstream 20-foot container, and combined with the mainstream 1,500V voltage of PCS and the mainstream power range, after precise calculation and analysis, the size specification of the 587Ah battery cell was finally determined.

Hithium also collaborated with multiple companies to jointly launch the ∞Cell 587Ah ESS battery. Hithium stated that based on the size boundary of a 20-foot container, the weight boundary of 50 mt for sea shipping, the voltage boundary of 1,500V, and the more critical system architecture code and the performance balance of the LFP chemical system, it ultimately chose 415Wh/L as the golden balance point. In a 6MWh+ system, 4 columns and 8 clusters are the best system topology for a 2h high-capacity ESS system, thus deriving the 587Ah battery cell as the "optimal solution."

Battery Cell Capacity Standards Will Ultimately Be Determined by Market Demand

Unlike last year's ESS exhibition, where companies competed to see who had the largest battery cells, the strongest systems, and the fastest cost reduction, comparing parameters and competing with posters, this year's ESS industry chain companies have shown a more "pragmatic" approach. Battery cell companies no longer emphasize that "the larger the battery cell, the better," but instead focus more on "reasonable balance" and product delivery and project implementation. Moreover, it has become clearer that "the final battery cell capacity standards will be determined by market demand."

Several battery companies, represented by REPT Battero, believe that the 392Ah battery cell is a new generation of ESS battery cell that can be rapidly mass-produced in the industry, and it will combine with the 314Ah ESS battery cell to open up a higher 300Ah+ market demand. REPT Battero stated that compared to other battery cells in the 300+Ah series, the 392Ah battery cell has minimal size changes, which gives it strong compatibility in production lines and processes, with low transformation costs, short cycles, and fast production ramp-up, enabling rapid large-scale mass production. Moreover, "REPT Battero refuses to blindly chase capacity indicators, but hopes to find the optimal solution between safety, reliability, and economy through technological iteration."

Lishen (Qingdao) and CALB also released 392Ah ESS battery cells. It is understood that Lishen's 392Ah ESS-specific battery cell can simultaneously meet 0.5CP and 0.25CP power, with a single battery cell capacity greater than 1.254kWh, achieving a 20-foot standard container capacity of 6.25MWh. CALB introduced that its 392Ah battery cell has a 25% increase in single-cell capacity compared to the 314Ah battery cell, with efficiency improved to 95%, and is compatible with the 314Ah production line.

In addition, AESC released a 530Ah ESS battery cell, achieving "more than 1.6 kWh per single battery cell," compatible with the current mainstream ESS system solutions, and will achieve mass production and delivery within 2025; Sunwoda's 625Ah battery cell achieved "precisely 2 kWh per single battery cell," with a 20-foot container capacity of 6.8MWh, and its short-blade form can achieve more than 33% space utilization in the system. It is expected that this battery cell will achieve true mass production and batch delivery in Q3 this year; CORNEX New Energy launched a 472Ah high-capacity ESS battery cell. It is reported that this battery cell is CORNEX's fourth-generation ESS-specific high-capacity battery cell, with a nominal energy breakthrough to 1,510.4Wh and an energy density of 195Wh/kg.

It is worth mentioning that Narada Power launched a 783Ah ESS high-capacity battery cell, and it is also a solid-state battery. According to Narada Power, its 783Ah solid-state battery has a volumetric energy density >430Wh/L, single-cell energy >2.5kWh, energy storage duration of 2~8h, cycle life >10,000 times, and energy efficiency >95%. The single-container ESS system equipped with this battery cell will have a capacity of up to 8.338MWh.

The industry generally believes that solid-state batteries are one of the preferred next-generation technologies for liquid batteries and have become a hot development direction for current NEV and ESS systems. It is also predicted that all-solid-state batteries are expected to achieve mass production by 2030, but there are still many technical and cost challenges to be overcome at this stage.

What are the latest technological advancements in solid-state batteries? Who will define the next generation of high-capacity ESS battery cells? The answers may be found at the upcoming global top battery industry event, CIBF2025, in Shenzhen.

On May 15-16, the "Electric Aviation and Next-Generation Battery (CIBF2025 Shenzhen) Technology Exchange Conference," guided by the China Industrial Association of Power Sources and co-organized by the Power Battery Application Branch and Battery China, will also be held concurrently at the CIBF exhibition hall. The conference will deeply discuss and exchange the latest R&D and industrialization progress, challenges, and future development trends of electric aviation and next-generation battery technology in recent years. Stay tuned!

Please note that this news is sourced from http://www.cbea.com/djgc/202504/547412.html and translated by SMM.