The large-scale application of 587Ah and 628Ah batteries is accelerating, ushering in the era of large-capacity energy storage.

In the first half of 2025, global energy storage cell shipments reached 240 GWh, representing a year-on-year increase of over 100%. During the same period, the top ten companies in global energy storage cell shipments accounted for a combined market share of 91.2%, all of which are Chinese enterprises. This fully demonstrates the dominant position of Chinese companies in the global energy storage industry and the strong competitive advantage of the industrial chain.

As policy-driven initiatives, such as mandatory energy storage allocation in China, gradually phase out, the energy storage industry is transitioning to a new stage led by market demand and technological innovation. At the same time, the explosive growth in demand for AI computing power overseas, coupled with the release of policy dividends for energy transition in emerging markets such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia, has collectively formed a powerful growth momentum. This is propelling the global energy storage industry into a new cycle of "sustained high growth" characterized by structural upgrades.

Forecasts indicate that global demand for energy storage batteries is expected to reach 560 GWh in 2026, with a year-on-year growth rate exceeding 60%. In 2027, the growth rate is still projected to surpass 40%, reflecting high activity levels throughout the entire energy storage industry chain.

Against this backdrop, the persistent "capacity anxiety" and pressure for "cost reduction and efficiency improvement" on the user side are not merely market demands but also critical challenges looming over the industry. These factors are compelling the acceleration of technological pathways toward more economically viable mainstream solutions. In this regard, the industry has reached a clear consensus: large energy storage cells are a key "ticket" to achieving grid parity for energy storage.

In terms of actual costs, increasing cell capacity helps distribute the material costs of structural components such as casings and top covers. Simultaneously, it enables larger-scale production lines and improves production efficiency, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. Furthermore, at the system level, reducing the number of cells directly simplifies components such as connectors and BMS wiring harnesses, lowering integration complexity and overall costs.

To date, although the debate over the size and capacity of the next generation of large cells has not yet been finalized, the commercialization process for 500Ah+ large-capacity energy storage cells and their supporting 6MWh+ energy storage systems has entered an accelerated implementation phase.

Recently, High-Cheese Energy Storage unveiled its dedicated cell for 8-hour long-duration energy storage scenarios—the ∞ Cell 1300Ah cell—and simultaneously launched the ∞ Power 8-hour long-duration energy storage solution, including products such as the ∞ Power8 6.9MW/55.2MWh. According to company representatives, the ∞ Power 8-hour solution is scheduled for full market delivery in Q4 2026.

While some companies are launching new products, others are securing orders. Less than a month after announcing that its 587Ah energy storage cells had achieved 2 GWh in shipments, CATL recently secured a new order. Foreign media reported that the company won a 4 GWh energy storage system order from Southeast Asia, with the products to be used in the "Green Economic Corridor" between Singapore and Indonesia.

It is reported that the 4 GWh EnerX battery energy storage system (BESS) provided by CATL will adopt 530Ah large-capacity cells, with a single 20-foot container offering an energy storage capacity of 5.6 MWh. Industry analysis points out that the core advantages of this product lie in its higher energy density and lower unit cost, which precisely meet the project's stringent requirements for land efficiency and economic benefits. Additionally, the customer's choice of CATL is not only due to its brand and technological strength but also its forward-looking localized production capacity layout. CATL is currently constructing a factory in Indonesia, with an initial planned annual production capacity of 6.9 GWh, which could be expanded to over 15 GWh in the future. This localized production capacity not only helps mitigate supply chain risks but also enables the region to accelerate its energy storage development by leveraging CATL's local manufacturing capabilities.

Whether it is the 530Ah product provided in this order or the previously shipped 587Ah cells, both point to a clear trend: energy storage cells are rapidly evolving toward larger capacities and higher efficiency. Securing such key orders is essentially a comprehensive competition involving technological pathways and production scale. The underlying logic is that more advanced and cost-effective technological solutions will lead to more competitive products and lower unit costs, ultimately consolidating industry leadership by winning larger-scale market orders.

Beyond CATL, EVE Energy is also making rapid progress in the commercialization of its 628Ah large battery, "Mr. Big." In September of this year, this cell completed large-scale deployment in a project exceeding 100 MWh, marking the successful closure of the loop from launch and mass production to practical engineering application.

As one of the industry leaders, EVE Energy achieved mass production of its 628Ah large cell as early as December 2024. By June of this year, cumulative shipments had exceeded 300,000 units. In terms of market access and customer recognition, the cell obtained certification in July this year under the Chinese standard GB/T 36276-2023 "Lithium-ion Batteries for Electrical Energy Storage," making it one of the first ultra-large-capacity cells to comply with the new national standard. In August, EVE Energy successfully won a 154 MWh procurement project for 628Ah lithium iron phosphate cells from China Electric Equipment Group. In September, energy storage systems equipped with this cell began shipping in batches to overseas markets such as Australia and Europe, demonstrating its global delivery capabilities.

Increasing cell capacity to reduce costs is indeed a viable approach, but cells are not "the larger, the better." Currently, the industry is also rationally evaluating the significantly increased safety risks associated with ultra-large-capacity cells.

Industry analysts point out that, on the one hand, the marginal benefits of reducing structural component costs through "increasing size" diminish sharply for ultra-large-capacity cells. Moreover, due to insufficient industrial scale, it is difficult to achieve economies of scale, and procurement costs for certain materials may actually be higher.

On the other hand, and more critically, are the non-negligible technical and safety challenges posed by "ultra-large" dimensions. Larger cell sizes impose higher requirements on manufacturing process consistency, making yield control more difficult. Additionally, ultra-large cells may face significant performance trade-offs in terms of cycle life (degradation control) and energy efficiency. At the same time, improvements in energy density are accompanied by increased risks of thermal runaway. Ultra-large cells store more energy per unit, meaning that in the event of thermal runaway, the destructive force and propagation risk increase exponentially. The clear industry consensus is that the highest-quality large cells should not endlessly push physical size limits but rather achieve an optimal balance of performance, safety, and cost within reasonable dimensions.

Research by institutions such as Morgan Stanley also indicates that energy density and degradation rates are often positively correlated. As the energy storage industry enters a new cycle, the ability to control cell degradation rates will become one of the core factors determining product competitiveness and pricing differentials. Therefore, excellent cell technology must offer a comprehensive solution that achieves scalable manufacturing, superior economics, and outstanding cycle life with safety assurances.

Looking ahead, energy storage cell technology is expected to evolve along two key parallel directions:

On one hand, large-capacity lithium iron phosphate cells represented by 500Ah+ will continue to serve as the market mainstream, driving system cost reductions and widespread adoption due to their technological maturity, standardization, and advantages in mass production. The recent large-scale deliveries of cells such as 587Ah and 628Ah mark the transition of large cells from the laboratory to a new phase of large-scale application.

On the other hand, next-generation electrochemical systems represented by solid-state batteries, with their theoretical advantages in intrinsic safety, higher energy density, and longer cycle life, are expected to gradually move from laboratories to demonstration applications. They hold the potential to become important technological options for future ultra-long-duration energy storage and specific high-safety-demand scenarios.