Rept Battero unveils 320 Ah sodium-ion cell for long-duration storage

From ESS News

Rept Battero has unveiled its Wending 320 Ah sodium-ion energy storage cell at SNEC 2026 in Shanghai, targeting utility-scale, long-duration energy storage projects and applications in extreme climates.

The Chinese battery manufacturer launched the product alongside an 85 Ah high-power lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell designed for AI data center energy storage. The Wending 320 Ah sodium-ion cell is aimed at power-generation and grid-scale storage projects, as well as large commercial and industrial (C&I) applications requiring long service life and wide operating-temperature ranges.

Rept Battero said the cell has a rated capacity of 320 Ah, a cycle life of more than 20,000 cycles, round-trip efficiency of at least 97%, and an operating temperature range of -50 C to 60 C. The company also claims a service life of 25 to 30 years, aligning the product with the expected operating life of many utility-scale energy storage assets.

According to Rept Battero, the cell can discharge at temperatures as low as -50 C while retaining more than 87% of its capacity. The company said the wide-temperature design makes the product suitable for deployment in cold regions of northeastern and northwestern China, as well as in high-temperature desert and coastal energy storage projects.

The product applies Rept Battero’s Wending prismatic cell architecture to sodium-ion chemistry. The company has previously used the Wending platform in LFP storage cells, including its 314 Ah and 320 Ah products. In the sodium-ion version, the structure is designed to increase internal space utilization, shorten current paths, and reduce internal resistance.

Rept Battero said the cell incorporates material-level improvements across the cathode, anode, and electrolyte. These include cathode particle optimization, porous anode structures, and electrolyte interface engineering intended to improve ion transport, cycle stability, and low-temperature performance.

The company also highlighted safety performance during the SNEC launch. Rept Battero said the 320 Ah sodium-ion cell passed overcharge and nail-penetration tests without fire, explosion, or thermal runaway. It added that the cell’s terminal design incorporates double insulation and double sealing to reduce electrical safety risks.

Rept Battero said the primary target market is large-scale energy storage applications with discharge durations of four hours or longer. The company positioned the cell as a complement to LFP technology in applications where low-temperature performance, long cycle life, and reduced exposure to raw-material price volatility are important. Its prismatic aluminum-shell format is designed to be compatible with mainstream energy storage system architectures, minimizing the need for significant pack or container redesign.

According to Rept Battero, the 320 Ah sodium-ion cell is currently in the A-sample validation stage, with reliability testing and customer sampling under way. The company plans to begin mass production and commercial deliveries in 2027. Initial deployments are expected in renewable energy bases in northwestern China, cold-climate storage projects in northeastern China, and selected international markets following certification.