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    Batteries and energy storage tracker

    Battery packs hit a record low of 108 dollars per kilowatt-hour in 2025 and the US planned 24 gigawatts of grid batteries for 2026, while sodium-ion entered mass-production cars and solid-state moved to pilot lines.[1][2][3][4] The biggest near-term uncertainty is trade: China suspended its battery export controls until 10 November 2026, and the US-China truce behind that deal has since been extended to 10 January 2027.[5][6]

    Editor reviewedUpdated DevelopingBatteries and energy storage, Energy and climate, Science

    What we know

    • Average lithium-ion pack prices fell 8% in 2025 to 108 dollars per kilowatt-hour; stationary packs reached 70 dollars[1]
    • LFP made up over 55% of EV batteries deployed in 2025[31]
    • China holds over 80% of global battery manufacturing capacity[10]
    • US battery storage reached nearly 52 GW by mid-2026[9]
    • Sodium-ion capacity is just over 1% of lithium-ion capacity[32]
    • China's October 2025 battery export controls are suspended until 10 November 2026[5]
    • The US-China trade truce was extended in September 2026 to 10 January 2027[6]
    • Form Energy's iron-air backlog grew from about 20 to 80 GWh in 2026 (company figure)[16]
    • CATL held 39.4% of global EV battery installations in January-August 2026[33]
    • The US installed a record 20.2 GWh of battery storage in Q2 2026[12]
    • Chinese lithium carbonate prices fell 20.8% in Q3 2026[19]

    What we don't know yet

    • Whether China's suspension of its battery and graphite export controls formally follows the truce extension to 10 January 2027, or the controls take effect
    • What caused the January 2025 Moss Landing battery fire; the California investigation was still open in September 2026
    • Whether the first all-solid-state cars from Toyota, BYD or Samsung SDI customers arrive on schedule in 2027-28, and in what volumes
    • Whether Form Energy's Minnesota iron-air pilot, now reported for 2027, reaches commercial operation and performs as claimed, and how fast Form can scale its 2 GWh-a-year factory
    • How quickly sodium-ion cars sell after the 2026 CATL-Changan launch
    • Whether battery pack prices keep falling in 2026 after lithium and cobalt prices roughly doubled into early 2026 and lithium then fell back in the third quarter
    • Whether CATL's 60 GWh sodium-ion storage order is delivered on schedule
    Story status

    Story status

    State
    developing
    Started
    2019-10-09
    Timeline entries
    41
    Last entry

    Timeline data (JSON)

    Where things stand

    As of October 2026, battery costs are at record lows and deployment is still accelerating. The average pack cost 108 dollars per kilowatt-hour in 2025, and stationary packs cost 70 dollars.[1][7] EV battery deployment reached 1.2 terawatt-hours.[8] US grid battery capacity neared 52 gigawatts by mid-2026.[9] China dominates manufacturing, with over 80% of capacity.[10] The tracker’s start date marks the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of lithium-ion batteries, used here as the opening of the field’s modern era.[11] Most entries are from 2024 onward.

    Through 2026 the main story has been growth in grid storage. The US installed a record 20.2 GWh of battery storage in the second quarter.[12] CATL’s revenue from storage systems rose 87.5% in the first half of 2026, faster than its EV business.[13] GlobalData expects global battery storage capacity to grow sixfold between 2025 and 2030.[14] Alternatives to lithium-ion are getting larger orders, led by CATL’s 60 GWh sodium-ion deal with HyperStrong.[15] Form Energy reports an 80 GWh iron-air backlog, but its first system has slipped to 2027.[16][17] Lithium prices more than doubled into early 2026 and then fell 20.8% in the third quarter.[18][19]

    Safety and trade are the main risks to that growth. The January 2025 fire at Vistra’s Moss Landing plant in California burned for several days, and intact modules at the site ignited again in September 2026 while the cause was still under investigation.[20][21] On trade, China’s battery and graphite export controls remain suspended rather than withdrawn.[5][22]

    What to watch next

    • 10 November 2026 or 10 January 2027. China suspended its battery and graphite export controls until 10 November 2026. The US-China truce was extended to 10 January 2027, but China has not explicitly confirmed a new end date for the suspension.[5][6]
    • Moss Landing. A September 2026 flare-up at the burned site renewed safety concerns, and the root cause of the January 2025 fire is still under investigation.[21][20]
    • CATL in Hungary. Trial production began in Debrecen in September 2026; CATL has not given a date for series production.[23]
    • Form Energy’s first pilot. The Cambridge, Minnesota project slipped from late 2025 to 2026, and in October 2026 was reported as set to come online in 2027.[24][25][17] Form raised 750 million dollars in August 2026 and reports an 80 GWh backlog.[16]
    • Sodium-ion sales. The CATL-Changan car was due on the market by mid-2026. Watch for volumes and for deliveries under CATL’s 60 GWh storage deal.[3][15]
    • BloombergNEF’s December 2026 price survey. BNEF expected pack prices to fall again in 2026 despite higher raw-material prices.[26][18]
    • Solid-state milestones. Watch for progress from the QuantumScape Eagle Line, Idemitsu’s pilot plant and Samsung SDI’s Ulsan line ahead of 2027-28 launch targets.[4][27][28][29]
    • Lithium prices and Chinese capacity policy. Lithium carbonate fell 20.8% in the third quarter of 2026. Benchmark tied the late-quarter slide partly to China pausing approvals of new storage and EV cell capacity, so watch whether that pause holds.[19][30]
    • US storage additions. EIA data will show whether the planned 24 gigawatts for 2026 was delivered.[2]

    Timeline

    29 confirmed12 reported

    1. reported

      Form Energy's Minnesota pilot reported as coming online in 2027[17]

    2. confirmed

      Lithium carbonate prices fall 20.8% in Q3 2026[19][30]

      Benchmark linked the late-quarter slide partly to a Chinese pause on new cell capacity approvals.

    3. reported

      CATL holds 39.4% of EV battery installations in January-August 2026[33]

    4. confirmed

      US-China trade truce extended to 10 January 2027[6]

      China's statement did not explicitly confirm a new end date for its suspended export controls.

    5. confirmed

      CATL starts trial cell production in Debrecen, Hungary[23]

      The plant is planned for 100 GWh, CATL's largest outside China.

    6. confirmed

      Form Energy closes 270 million dollar credit facility[57]

    7. confirmed

      New flare-up at the burned Moss Landing battery site[21]

      About 1,200 inaccessible, still-charged modules ignited; the root-cause investigation of the 2025 fire was still open.

    8. reported

      Record 20.2 GWh of US battery storage installed in Q2 2026[12]

    9. confirmed

      Form Energy raises 750 million dollars in Series G[16]

      Form says its backlog grew from about 20 to 80 GWh in 2026.

    10. confirmed

      US battery storage capacity nears 52 GW[9]

    11. confirmed

      Samsung SDI names Ulsan as its solid-state mass-production site[28][56]

    12. reported

      GlobalData forecasts sixfold growth in global battery storage by 2030[14]

    13. confirmed

      CATL first-half revenue up 55%, storage revenue up 88% (self-reported)[13]

    14. reported

      Samsung SDI reaffirms 2H 2027 solid-state mass production target[55]

    15. confirmed

      China's solid-state battery classification standard takes effect[54]

      The voluntary GB/T 43568-2026 reserves the all-solid-state label for batteries with less than 5% liquid electrolyte by mass.

    16. confirmed

      Redwood Materials to reuse GM EV packs as plant storage[53]

    17. reported

      Invinity delivers Europe's largest vanadium flow battery to Copwood, UK[52]

    18. confirmed

      CATL signs 60 GWh sodium-ion storage deal with HyperStrong[15]

      Described by CATL as the largest sodium-ion supply agreement to date.

    19. reported

      CATL details sodium-ion cell for grid storage[51]

    20. confirmed

      Form Energy and Crusoe sign 12 GWh iron-air deal for data centers[50][25]

    21. confirmed

      Form Energy signs first international iron-air project, in Ireland[49]

      A 10 MW / 1,000 MWh system with FuturEnergy Ireland, expected online in 2029.

    22. confirmed

      CATL reports 2025 net profit of 72.2 billion yuan[48]

    23. confirmed

      30 GWh iron-air project announced in Google-Xcel agreement[46][47]

      Described as the largest battery project by energy capacity announced to date; first modules expected by end-2028.

    24. reported

      1.2 GWh lithium-vanadium hybrid storage plant operating in Inner Mongolia[45]

    25. confirmed

      US developers plan record 24 GW of battery storage for 2026[2][44]

    26. confirmed

      CATL and Changan unveil mass-production sodium-ion passenger car[3][43]

    27. confirmed

      QuantumScape inaugurates Eagle Line solid-state pilot line[4]

    28. reported

      Idemitsu building solid electrolyte pilot plant for Toyota[27]

      The Chiba plant, of several hundred tons a year, is due for completion at the end of 2027.

    29. confirmed

      US 25% tariff on Chinese non-EV lithium-ion batteries takes effect[34]

    30. reported

      Jimsar 1 GWh vanadium flow battery enters full operation[42]

    31. confirmed

      Battery pack prices hit record low of 108 dollars per kWh[1][7]

    32. confirmed

      China suspends battery export controls until November 2026[5][22]

    33. reported

      Form Energy begins deploying its first commercial iron-air batteries[41]

      The batteries are for Great River Energy's project in Minnesota.

    34. confirmed

      China announces export controls on batteries, cathodes and graphite anodes[40]

    35. reported

      Glencore takes over insolvent recycler Li-Cycle[39]

    36. confirmed

      US tax law adds prohibited-foreign-entity rules for storage credits[37][38]

      Storage projects starting in 2026 must source at least 55% of costs from non-prohibited entities, rising to 75% by 2030.

    37. confirmed

      First gigawatt-hour-scale flow battery connected in Xinjiang[36]

      Rongke Power's 200 MW / 1 GWh vanadium flow station in Jimsar County went onto the grid.

    38. confirmed

      CATL launches Hong Kong secondary listing[35]

      The listing aimed to raise 4 to 5.3 billion dollars, in particular for a plant in Debrecen, Hungary.

    39. confirmed

      Fire at Vistra's Moss Landing battery plant in California[20]

      One of the largest battery storage fires to date burned for several days and led to temporary evacuations.

    40. confirmed

      US finalises Section 301 tariff increases on Chinese batteries[34]

      EV battery tariffs rose to 25% in 2024; non-EV lithium-ion batteries and natural graphite were scheduled to follow in 2026.

    41. confirmed

      Ground broken on first iron-air storage pilot in Minnesota[24]

      Great River Energy and Form Energy began a 1.5 MW, up-to-100-hour project in Cambridge, then expected online by late 2025.

    Batteries and energy storage

    How close are solid-state batteries?

    Toyota, BYD, Samsung SDI and QuantumScape promise solid-state batteries by 2027-28. The evidence on whether that is a breakthrough or a niche start.

    More in Batteries and energy storage

    Developing in Science & Energy

    Go deeper

    Sources

    · 57 claims from 40 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      BloombergNEF's 2025 survey found average lithium-ion battery pack prices fell 8% from 2024 to a record low of 108 US dollars per kilowatt-hour. confirmedas of 2025-12-09

    2. [2]

      US developers planned to add 24 gigawatts of utility-scale battery storage in 2026, 28% of all planned capacity additions. confirmedas of 2026-02-20

    3. [3]

      On 5 February 2026 CATL and Changan unveiled what they called the world's first mass-production sodium-ion passenger vehicle, due on the market by mid-2026. confirmedas of 2026-02-05

    4. [4]

      QuantumScape inaugurated its Eagle Line pilot production line, which uses its Cobra separator process, on 4 February 2026. confirmedas of 2026-02-11

    5. [5]

      On 7 November 2025 China suspended the October 2025 battery and graphite anode export controls, together with related rare-earth measures, until 10 November 2026. confirmedas of 2025-11-13

    6. [6]

      In late September 2026 the US and China extended their trade truce, due to end on 10 November 2026, to 10 January 2027; China's Commerce Ministry statement did not explicitly say whether its suspended export controls would follow the new date. confirmedas of 2026-09-28

    7. [7]

      Battery pack prices for stationary storage fell to 70 US dollars per kilowatt-hour in 2025, 45% lower than in 2024. confirmedas of 2025-12-09

    8. [8]

      EV battery deployment reached 1.2 terawatt-hours in 2025, almost 30% more than in 2024. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    9. [9]

      US operational battery storage capacity reached 43.6 gigawatts by the end of 2025 and nearly 52 gigawatts by mid-2026, after average annual growth of 70% over three years. confirmedas of 2026-08-07

    10. [10]

      China holds over 80% of global battery manufacturing capacity, while the EU and the US each hold 6-7%, although capacity in Europe and the US grew about 50% year on year against China's 25%. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    11. [11]

      The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for the development of lithium-ion batteries. confirmedas of 2019-10-10

    12. [12]

      SEIA and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reported a record 20.2 gigawatt-hours of US battery storage installed in the second quarter of 2026, bringing first-half installations to 30.8 GWh, up 23% year on year. reportedas of 2026-08-31

    13. [13]

      CATL reported (self-reported) first-half 2026 revenue of 276.92 billion yuan, up 54.8%, and net profit of 43.28 billion yuan, up 42%; revenue from energy storage systems rose 87.5% to 53.26 billion yuan. confirmedas of 2026-07-24

    14. [14]

      GlobalData projects that global battery storage capacity will grow sixfold between 2025 and 2030, a 42% compound annual growth rate, and says the US and China held 74.6% of installed capacity at the end of 2025. reportedas of 2026-07-27· forecast

    15. [15]

      On 27 April 2026 CATL and energy storage integrator HyperStrong signed a three-year agreement for 60 GWh of sodium-ion batteries for energy storage, which both CATL and press reports called the largest sodium-ion supply deal to date. confirmedas of 2026-05-06

    16. [16]

      On 12 August 2026 Form Energy announced a $750 million Series G round led by T. Rowe Price and said its backlog had grown in 2026 from about 20 to 80 gigawatt-hours, including the Xcel-Google, Crusoe and FuturEnergy Ireland projects. confirmedas of 2026-08-12

    17. [17]

      In October 2026 MIT Technology Review reported that Form Energy's first commercial deployment, a 150 megawatt-hour system for Great River Energy in Minnesota, was set to come online in 2027. reportedas of 2026-10-06

    18. [18]

      Lithium prices at the start of 2026 were more than twice their level a year earlier, and cobalt prices also doubled over the year. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    19. [19]

      Benchmark Mineral Intelligence tracked a 20.8% fall in battery-grade lithium carbonate prices in China in the third quarter of 2026, to 127,750 yuan a tonne, extending a correction that began in the second quarter. confirmedas of 2026-10-02

    20. [20]

      On 16 January 2025 a fire broke out at Vistra's Moss Landing battery storage facility in Monterey County, California; it burned for several days, more than a thousand residents were temporarily evacuated, and a year later the cause was still unknown. confirmedas of 2026-01-16

    21. [21]

      On 18 September 2026 intact batteries at the burned Moss Landing facility ignited in a new flare-up, which local fire officials attributed to roughly 1,200 inaccessible, still-charged battery modules; the CPUC's root-cause investigation of the 2025 fire was still under way. confirmedas of 2026-09-18

    22. [22]

      Legal analysts note that although enforcement of China's battery export controls is on hold, the legal framework remains in place, and the US paused its own export "Affiliates Rule" until 9 November 2026 in the same deal. confirmedas of 2025-11-13

    23. [23]

      On 22 September 2026 CATL began trial production on the first two cell lines of its factory in Debrecen, Hungary, which it says will be its largest manufacturing base outside China at 100 GWh once complete; it gave no date for series production. confirmedas of 2026-09-22

    24. [24]

      In August 2024 Great River Energy and Form Energy broke ground on a 1.5 MW multi-day iron-air storage project in Cambridge, Minnesota, then expected to operate by late 2025. confirmedas of 2024-08-15

    25. [25]

      As of March 2026 Form Energy had begun delivering its first commercial pilot system in Minnesota, with the full project expected online in 2026. confirmedas of 2026-03-24

    26. [26]

      BloombergNEF expects battery pack prices to fall again in 2026, as raw material prices face upward pressure but low-cost LFP keeps spreading. reportedas of 2025-12-09· forecast

    27. [27]

      In early 2026 Idemitsu began building a solid electrolyte pilot plant at its Chiba site with capacity of several hundred tons a year, due for completion at the end of 2027. reportedas of 2026-02-03

    28. [28]

      On 30 July 2026 Samsung SDI set out a plan to begin all-solid-state battery mass production at its Ulsan plant in South Korea in the second half of 2027, using sulfide electrolytes and targeting more than 900 Wh/L, with sample cells already with potential customers in EVs and robotics. confirmedas of 2026-07-30

    29. [29]

      The IEA reports that Toyota plans its first all-solid-state battery vehicle by 2028, and BYD plans to sell its first all-solid-state EV from 2027 with mass production from 2030. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    30. [30]

      Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reported that in the third quarter of 2026 the Chinese government paused approvals of new energy storage cell capacity expansions, and later of EV cell expansions, which together with market rumours helped push lithium prices down at the end of the quarter. reportedas of 2026-10-02

    31. [31]

      LFP batteries made up over 55% of EV batteries deployed globally in 2025, up from nearly 50% in 2024. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    32. [32]

      Sodium-ion cell manufacturing capacity equals just over 1% of lithium-ion cell capacity, and announced sodium-ion projects for 2030 amount to about 7% of committed lithium-ion capacity. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    33. [33]

      SNE Research counted 844.2 gigawatt-hours of EV battery installations worldwide in January-August 2026, up 19.7%; CATL led with 333.0 GWh (a 39.4% share) and BYD was second with 127.9 GWh (15.1%). reportedas of 2026-10-02

    34. [34]

      Under Section 301 tariff increases finalised in September 2024, US tariffs on Chinese lithium-ion EV batteries rose to 25% in 2024, and tariffs on non-EV lithium-ion batteries and natural graphite rose to 25% from 1 January 2026. confirmedas of 2024-09-24

    35. [35]

      In May 2025 CATL launched a Hong Kong secondary listing aiming to raise 4 to 5.3 billion US dollars, in particular to fund a battery plant in Debrecen, Hungary. confirmedas of 2025-05-13

    36. [36]

      Rongke Power's 200 MW / 1 GWh vanadium flow battery station in Jimsar County, Xinjiang, was connected to the grid on 28 May 2025, billed as the first gigawatt-hour-scale flow battery. confirmedas of 2025-05-29

    37. [37]

      The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted on 4 July 2025, added prohibited foreign entity rules that restrict access to the 48E investment, 45Y production and 45X manufacturing tax credits, including for battery storage. confirmedas of 2026-07-16

    38. [38]

      For energy storage projects starting construction in 2026, at least 55% of direct costs must come from non-prohibited foreign entities, a threshold that rises to 75% by 2030. confirmedas of 2026-07-16

    39. [39]

      Glencore acquired the insolvent battery recycler Li-Cycle as of 8 August 2025, taking over its pre-processing plants in the US, Canada and Germany and its Rochester hub, where construction had halted in 2023 over costs. reportedas of 2025-08-11

    40. [40]

      On 9 October 2025 China announced export controls, due to take effect on 8 November 2025, on high-energy lithium-ion cells (300 Wh/kg and above), cathode materials and precursors, graphite anode materials, and related equipment and technology. confirmedas of 2025-10-14

    41. [41]

      In October 2025 Form Energy began deploying its first commercial batteries, for Great River Energy's multi-day storage project in Minnesota, and said it had more than 200 MW of batteries under contract. reportedas of 2025-10-29

    42. [42]

      Rongke Power said the full 200 MW / 1 GWh Jimsar vanadium flow project in Xinjiang entered operation on 31 December 2025, paired with a 1 GW solar plant and designed for up to five hours of continuous discharge. reportedas of 2025-12-31

    43. [43]

      CATL's Naxtra sodium-ion battery reaches up to 175 Wh/kg, which CATL calls the benchmark for mass production, and gives a pure-electric range above 400 km. confirmedas of 2026-02-05

    44. [44]

      The United States added a record 15 gigawatts of utility-scale battery storage in 2025. confirmedas of 2026-02-20

    45. [45]

      By February 2026 a 300 MW / 1,200 MWh storage plant in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, combining lithium iron phosphate and vanadium flow batteries with grid-forming inverters, had entered commercial operation. reportedas of 2026-02-27

    46. [46]

      A 2026 agreement between Google and Xcel Energy includes a 300 MW / 30 GWh Form Energy iron-air battery, described as the largest battery project by energy capacity announced to date. confirmedas of 2026-03-04

    47. [47]

      Form Energy's chief executive said the company expects to ship the first modules for the Xcel-Google project by the end of 2028. reportedas of 2026-03-04

    48. [48]

      CATL reported 2025 revenue of 423.7 billion yuan (up 17%), net profit of 72.2 billion yuan (up 42%) and battery shipments of 661 GWh (up 39%). confirmedas of 2026-03-10

    49. [49]

      On 17 March 2026 Form Energy and FuturEnergy Ireland agreed to deploy a 10 MW / 1,000 MWh iron-air battery in the northwest of Ireland, expected online in 2029 and Form's first announced international deployment. confirmedas of 2026-03-17

    50. [50]

      On 24 March 2026 Form Energy and Crusoe announced an agreement for 12 gigawatt-hours of iron-air storage for AI data centers, with deliveries from 2027 built at Form Factory 1 in Weirton, West Virginia. confirmedas of 2026-03-24

    51. [51]

      In April 2026 CATL presented a sodium-ion cell for stationary storage with about 160 Wh/kg and more than 15,000 cycles to 80% capacity, expected in commercial deployment within 2026. reportedas of 2026-04-20

    52. [52]

      In May 2026 Invinity delivered 20.7 MWh of vanadium flow batteries, 90 units paired with a 3 MW solar array, to the Copwood hub in East Sussex, which it says will be Europe's largest vanadium flow installation when it enters service later in 2026. reportedas of 2026-05-11

    53. [53]

      In June 2026 Redwood Materials said it would deploy about 100 repurposed GM battery packs (1.5 MW / 7.2 MWh) at a GM plant in Michigan, making GM the first automaker to work with Redwood on scrap recycling, end-of-life recycling and second-life storage. confirmedas of 2026-06-09

    54. [54]

      China's GB/T 43568-2026 standard on EV solid-state battery terminology and classification took effect on 1 July 2026; it is voluntary and sorts batteries by liquid electrolyte mass fraction, with all-solid-state meaning below 5%. confirmedas of 2026-07-15

    55. [55]

      Samsung SDI targets mass production of all-solid-state batteries in the second half of 2027. confirmedas of 2026-07-30

    56. [56]

      Samsung SDI plans to invest 25 trillion won in its Ulsan and Cheonan sites from 2026 to 2040, including 16 trillion won at Ulsan for solid-state, LFP storage and sodium-ion battery lines. confirmedas of 2026-07-30

    57. [57]

      On 21 September 2026 Form Energy closed a $270 million credit facility, including a facility that advances funds against Section 45X manufacturing tax credits. confirmedas of 2026-09-21

    Revision history (3)
    1. Added CATL's first-half results and 2026 market share, the HyperStrong sodium-ion deal, Samsung SDI's Ulsan plan, record US Q2 installs, the Q3 lithium price fall, flow battery projects, recycling deals and the Form pilot's slip to 2027; timeline re-sorted by date.
    2. Page created.
    3. Added the Moss Landing fire and 2026 flare-up, Form Energy's Ireland deal, Series G and credit facility, CATL's Hungary trial production, the solid-state standard taking effect and the US-China truce extension.

    Created Oct 10, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 10, 2026. Next scheduled review: Nov 11, 2026.

    Cite this page

    "Batteries and energy storage tracker." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/events/energy-storage-tracker

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

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