China's Battery Giant Bets Big on Sodium as Lithium Volatility Persists

China's largest battery manufacturer, CATL, is pivoting away from electric vehicles to focus more on energy storage solutions, driven by the surge in demand for batteries from the AI sector. The company, which has seen only a small portion of its sales come from energy storage in the past, now has storage systems making up a significant portion of its business. This shift is partly due to the volatility in lithium prices, prompting CATL to explore sodium-ion batteries as a more stable and potentially cost-effective alternative, highlighting a major strategic change in the energy storage market.