BESS Price Index

Center L Ultra 6.25 MWh — $68–88/kWh · as of 2026-09

Our estimate, not a vendor offer: Narada is a tier-2 brand that typically bids near the bottom of Chinese tender ranges (August 2026 4-hour range RMB 530–690/kWh, weighted average RMB 600/kWh ≈ $83, per CNESA DataLink — up 21% month-on-month from the H1 2026 average of RMB 541.3/kWh). Ex-works China DC block; 20-ft liquid-cooled container for 2–8-hour applications, in mass production since July 2025.

Mr. Giant (628Ah Mr. Big cells) — $68–88/kWh · as of 2026-09

Estimate, not an offer: EVE is among the most aggressive tier-1 players on price; Chinese tender bids in August 2026 spanned RMB 530–690/kWh for 4-hour systems, with the weighted average up to RMB 600/kWh (~$83, CNESA DataLink) — a 21% month-on-month rebound from the H1 2026 average of $75. Range covers the ex-works China DC block. The world's first grid-scale station on 628Ah cells (200 MW/400 MWh, Hebei) connected to the grid in February 2026.

∞Power 6.25 MWh (∞Cell 1175Ah) — $72–92/kWh · as of 2026-09

Estimate against market benchmarks (China tender average $83–104/kWh in August 2026 per CNESA DataLink, up from $75–84/kWh in H1 2026; FOB-China for Europe $71–89/kWh) — Hithium publishes no prices. Ex-works DC block; the vendor claims up to 15% lower system cost versus the 314Ah generation. In February 2026 it ran the industry's first open large-scale fire test of a 6.25 MWh container on kAh-class cells.

MC Cube-T (Chess Plus) — $74–94/kWh · as of 2026-09

No public price list — estimated from Chinese tender benchmarks: August 2026 weighted average winning bids of RMB 600–750/kWh (~$83–104, CNESA DataLink), up sharply month-on-month from the H1 2026 average of RMB 541–602/kWh; export FOB-China for Europe at $71–89/kWh (SMM). Refers to the ex-works DC block; BYD has historically been the price leader in mega-tenders (12.5 GWh Saudi Arabia). Western turnkey installs run 2–3× higher.

Elementa 2 Pro 5 MWh — $74–94/kWh · as of 2026-09

Estimate from mid-market rates (China tenders: August 2026 weighted average RMB 600/kWh ≈ $83 for 4-hour systems, up from RMB 541.3/kWh in H1 2026, per CNESA DataLink; FOB-China $71–89/kWh) — Trina publishes no model pricing. Ex-works DC block on its own 314Ah cells rated for 15,000 cycles, with hybrid air-liquid cooling. Installed prices in Trina's UK/EU projects run a multiple of ex-works.

Gen 8 BESS 8 MWh (AESC 700Ah+) — $74–98/kWh · as of 2026-09

Estimate against Chinese DC-block benchmarks (August 2026 tender average $83–104/kWh per CNESA DataLink, up from $75–84/kWh in H1 2026; FOB for Europe $71–89/kWh) — no published model price. Record density: 8 MWh in a 20-ft container (541 kWh/m²) on AESC 700Ah+ cells, 96% RTE. Ex-works China, DC block without PCS; export turnkey costs more as China's export VAT rebate fell 13%→6% in April 2026 (abolished in 2027).

20-ft Liquid-Cooling BESS 6.26 MWh (588Ah cells) — $74–98/kWh · as of 2026-09

Our estimate against benchmarks, not a vendor offer: Sunwoda publishes no model price. Positioned against August 2026 Chinese tender averages ($83-104/kWh, CNESA DataLink — up from $75-84/kWh in H1 2026) and FOB-China DC-block pricing for Europe ($71-89/kWh, SMM) as a next-gen flagship, so priced in line with peers rather than at a discount. Ex-works China DC block on new 588Ah LFP cells: +24.8% volumetric energy density, -17% footprint, -40% component count vs. the prior generation.

TENER 6.25 MWh — $80–105/kWh · as of 2026-09

Our estimate from benchmarks, not a CATL offer: 4-hour LFP systems' weighted average winning bid rose to RMB 600/kWh (~$83) in China's August 2026 tenders (CNESA DataLink), up from RMB 541.3/kWh (~$75) in H1 2026; FOB-China 5MWh DC blocks for Europe ran $71–89/kWh (SMM, June 2026); the market prices a premium over average for TENER's five-year zero-degradation claim. Ex-works China DC block; US/EU turnkey installs run multiples higher ($150–320/kWh installed).

LUNA2000-4.5MWh Smart String ESS — $80–110/kWh · as of 2026-09

Estimate from Chinese DC-block benchmarks ($71–89 FOB for Europe; $83–104/kWh average in Chinese tenders in August 2026, up from $75–84/kWh in H1 2026, per CNESA DataLink) plus a premium for Huawei's string architecture and software — no public price list, sold via project contracts only (including 1.3 GWh-scale Saudi projects). Ex-works DC container, no PCS; turnkey in the EU/Central Asia is markedly higher.

PowerTitan 2.0 (ST5015) — $90–130/kWh · as of 2026-09

Estimate, not an offer. Important: PowerTitan 2.0 is an AC block with a built-in 2.5 MW PCS, so comparing it against bare DC-container prices ($71–89 FOB) is apples-to-oranges — PCS integration adds roughly $15–40/kWh. Range is ex-works China; installed EU/US projects on PowerTitan land at $150–300+/kWh turnkey.

Megapack 2 XL — $266–315/kWh · as of 2026-09

The only truly public price in this index: Tesla's US configurator. July 2024 — $1,039,290 for 1.9 MW/3.9 MWh ($266/kWh) before shipping and installation; 2025–2026 configurator data puts a 4-hour block in California at ~$1,227,090 (~$315/kWh), varying by state. This is a US-market AC system with PCS (tariff and 45X context included) — not directly comparable to $71–89/kWh ex-works-China DC blocks.

GC Block (10MW/62MWh, ~6h) — —/kWh · as of 2026-09

No published price — BYD has not disclosed pricing for this station-level block, launched 16 September 2026 at the Shenzhen International Digital Energy Exhibition. Important: GC Block is an AC block built on the MC CubeXT DC system (1980Ah Blade Battery cells) with BYD's own GC Flux PCS 2.0 (10MW/unit, 99.5% peak conversion efficiency) integrated in, so it is not comparable to ex-works China DC-container prices ($71–89/kWh FOB for Europe, SMM) — the same caveat as Sungrow's PowerTitan 2.0 and Gotion's Grid Gen2 AC blocks, which carry a premium for built-in PCS. Three standardized configurations were announced: 7.5MW/15.5MWh (~2h), 7.5MW/31MWh (~4h) and this 10MW/62MWh (~6h) flagship, the largest standardized block announced to date.

∞Power 6.9 MWh (1300Ah LDES cell) — —/kWh · as of 2026-09

No published price — Hithium has not disclosed pricing for this SNEC 2026 launch. Built on the world's first cell dedicated to long-duration storage (1300Ah), native 8-hour discharge, 25-year design life; 20-ft container. Directional guide only: sits above Hithium's own 6.25 MWh ∞Power (estimated $68-88/kWh against China H1 2026 tender benchmarks) given the LDES-specific cell and longer design life, but no vendor quote exists to confirm.

EN 12.5 MWh AI Storage System (790Ah cell) — —/kWh · as of 2026-09

No published price — Envision has not disclosed pricing for this flagship, launched April 2026 as the world's largest single BESS unit at the time. Built on a new 790Ah LFP prismatic cell (>440 Wh/L density, >15,000 cycles, up to 30-year calendar life, 96% cell-level RTE); already in mass production at Envision's Cangzhou superfactory. Supersedes the 8 MWh Gen 8 as Envision's flagship; no vendor quote exists to confirm a price against China's $75-84/kWh tender benchmarks.

6.9 MWh BESS (628Ah CTP) — —/kWh · as of 2026-09

No published price — EVE has not disclosed pricing for this launch. 20-ft cell-to-pack container on 628Ah cells, >430 Wh/L density, >10,000 cycles; over 50 GWh in large-format battery deals signed at launch (ESIE 2026), with further 67 GWh+ orders announced at SNEC 2026. Directional guide only: as a tier-1 China DC block it would likely price near China's H1 2026 tender benchmarks ($75-84/kWh average), but no vendor quote exists to confirm.

Megapack 3 — —/kWh · as of 2026-09

No verified public price yet: Tesla's own configurator has not been independently confirmed for Megapack 3 pricing (unlike Megapack 2 XL, no screenshot/press citation of a configurator quote exists so far). A third-party reseller listing implies ~$167/kWh for a 5 MWh unit, but that is not Tesla's own price and is excluded here per this index's rule that only Tesla's configurator counts as a public price. Production started Aug 6, 2026 at Tesla's new Brookshire, TX Megafactory. Vs. Megapack 2 XL: +28% capacity per unit (5 MWh vs 3.9 MWh), larger 2.8L cells, 78% fewer thermal connections, ~23% faster install, up to 40% lower construction cost.

SBB 1.5 (Samsung Battery Box) — —/kWh · as of 2026-09

No published prices and no reliable tender data — we leave this null rather than guess. Directional guide: Korean NCA systems trade at a substantial premium to Chinese LFP (global ex-China turnkey average ~$125/kWh per BNEF 2025; US installed $230–320/kWh); the SBB 1.5 positions at the top of the market (20-year warranty, >95% RTE). Its large Tesvolt (Germany) contract was undisclosed.

Smartstack 7.5 MWh — —/kWh · as of 2026-09

No public price, project-based quoting — null rather than a guess. Buyer's bearings: Fluence sells a turnkey AC platform into Western markets, where the US EPC benchmark for 4-hour LFP systems is $230–320/kWh installed (domestic-content rules and tariffs included) against a global turnkey average of $117/kWh (BNEF 2025). Smartstack deliveries started Q4 2025; ~70% of Fluence's 2026 product revenue is still Gridstack Pro.

Grid Gen2 / Grid Q 2.0 (乾元智储 2.0) — 5 MW/18.8 MWh HV-cascaded — —/kWh · as of 2026-09

No published price — Gotion has not disclosed pricing for this grid-forming, high-voltage cascaded system, unveiled April 2026 and formally released as 乾元智储2.0 in July 2026. Important: this is an AC block with cascaded H-bridge inverters built in (direct 6–35 kV grid connection, no central transformer needed), so it is not comparable to ex-works China DC-container prices ($71–89/kWh FOB for Europe, SMM) — more akin to Sungrow's PowerTitan 2.0, an AC block that trades at a premium over bare DC blocks for PCS integration. Claimed system efficiency >92.1%; cell chemistry, Ah, cooling method and cycle life not published as of September 2026.

Sourcing BESS factory-direct

Coloprice is published by Dream View, a China-sourcing company. For commercial-scale projects we buy BESS containers factory-direct: verified manufacturer, certification review, pre-shipment inspection, export and freight — flat 10% fee.

How much does battery energy storage cost in 2026?

Depends which number you quote. Chinese LFP DC blocks average ~$83/kWh in domestic tenders and $71–89/kWh FOB for export; the global turnkey average is ~$117/kWh (BNEF), and US installed EPC runs $230–320/kWh. Confusing ex-works with installed is the single most expensive mistake in storage budgeting — our table labels every number.

Why did Chinese BESS prices rise in 2026?

After years of brutal declines, H1 2026 tender averages rebounded ~9–21% year-on-year: anti-involution measures cooled the price war, 314Ah cell prices rose, and the export VAT rebate was cut from 13% to 6% (abolished from 2027). The floor is still tens of dollars per kWh — but the direction flipped.

What do DC-block prices exclude?

PCS/inverters (add ~$15–40/kWh), transformers, shipping, duties, EPC, commissioning and grid studies. A DC block is roughly one-third to one-half of a finished Western project — which is exactly the gap between $75 and $230–320/kWh.

Can data centers buy BESS containers factory-direct from China?

Yes — for behind-the-meter, peak shaving and UPS-adjacent applications this is increasingly common. Coloprice is published by Dream View, a China-sourcing company: verified manufacturers, certification review (UL 9540A, IEC 62619), pre-shipment inspection, export and freight, for a flat 10% fee. Commercial-scale projects only.