China's battery energy storage industry is entering a fresh round of cell price increases, led by tier-1 manufacturers CATL and EVE Energy, with smaller producers quickly following suit — a shift driven by a new 2% consumption tax on batteries that took effect on 1 September 2026.
CATL has raised the price of its 314Ah storage cells from RMB 0.414/Wh (US$0.062/Wh) to RMB 0.423/Wh. EVE Energy announced that, effective 1 September 2026, a 2% consumption tax surcharge will be added to the base price of all domestic battery products, while export-bound products qualify for tax rebates that keep domestic and export pricing aligned. Lishen Battery has told customers that base tax-exclusive supply prices will rise from September to pass on the 2% consumption tax plus a 7% urban maintenance and construction tax and a 5% education surcharge.
Smaller manufacturers including Anhui Eagoal New Energy Group and Yili New Energy have issued similar adjustment notices. On 7 September, Desay Battery told investors its Hunan-based storage cell production lines are operating at full capacity.
According to Gaogong Storage (GGII), the average price of 314Ah storage cells has climbed from roughly RMB 0.28/Wh in early 2025 to about RMB 0.38/Wh by mid-2026. Earlier rises were driven mainly by supply shortages amid rising demand; today, tax policy and rising upstream raw material costs are the key catalysts.
The policy trigger is the joint July 2026 announcement by China's Ministry of Finance, General Administration of Customs and State Taxation Administration: from 1 September 2026, a 2% consumption tax applies to lithium-ion and other battery categories that had been exempt since 2015 — rising to 4% from 1 September 2027. Shanghai Nonferrous Metals analyst Li Yisha calculates that at an average storage cell price of RMB 0.36/Wh, the 2% tax adds roughly RMB 0.007/Wh — about RMB 7 million of extra cost per GWh of cell production.
Industry capacity utilisation now averages above 90%, with some lines exceeding rated output and mainstream 314Ah cells in tight supply. Envision AESC notes the tax was the direct catalyst, but the coordinated moves fundamentally reflect an improving supply-demand balance that has restored pricing power to manufacturers. How the tax burden is distributed ultimately depends on negotiations between upstream and downstream players — a test of each producer's supply reliability, technology and customer portfolio. Tier-1 makers hold stronger leverage; mid- and small-sized firms face a tough choice between raising prices and risking orders, or absorbing the losses.
- Energy-Storage.news, "CATL, EVE Energy lead Chinese manufacturers' battery storage cell price hikes" — Carrie Xiao, 9 September 2026
After two years of brutal price competition, China's storage cell market is signalling a turning point: a tax-driven cost floor of roughly RMB 7 million per GWh, plus 90%+ utilisation and tight 314Ah supply, is returning pricing power to manufacturers. For buyers worldwide, this means the era of sub-RMB0.30/Wh cells is over and 2026 system quotes may face upward pressure — timing, inventory and supply contracts now matter more than chasing the lowest nominal cell price.
Cell cost is the largest single line item in any battery system — and this rally hits every OEM and brand equally, regardless of where the system is assembled. What separates reliable suppliers in a rising-cost environment is transparency and supply discipline: verified cell sourcing, contract terms that honour quoted prices, and honest specification of what is inside the cabinet. EXLIPORC builds its residential and C&I systems (including 314Ah and 324Ah cell platforms) on exactly that principle — real capacity, real cycle ratings and dependable delivery, so your project economics are not hostage to a spot-price swing. The 314Ah cells at the centre of this rally are the same platform inside the LVB16WTC 16kWh battery — a long-life product designed to make price volatility matter less over 15 years of operation.If you are planning a 2026-2027 order and want to lock specifications and delivery slots early, talk to us: gina@exliporcpower.com · www.exliporcpower.com.
