CATL found that over 50 LFP cells from the Zhangbei Project retained about 85% of their original capacity after nearly 14 years. No project cells had been replaced; tested cells could support another decade in secondary storage, with about 1,000 cycles possible.
The 63-megawatt-hour Zhangbei system began operating in 2011, remained active until June 2025 and supplied green energy to the 2022 Winter Olympics. After decommissioning, CATL’s inspection found well-aligned anodes and cathodes, good lithium intercalation and no obvious aging in the cells’ graphite.
