English
French
German
Italian
Spanish
Portuguese
Dutch
中文Key takeaway: The lithium battery industry is running at full throttle — output and installations keep hitting record highs. Meanwhile, solid-state batteries are moving from the lab to production lines at an accelerating pace, with 2027 widely seen as the milestone year for demo deployments. In the upstream market, lithium carbonate prices have corrected sharply, testing supply-chain resilience once again.
1. Demand: boom continues, records keep falling
According to MIIT data, China’s total lithium battery output exceeded 1,240 GWh in H1 2026, up 44% year-on-year. August power battery installations reached 79 GWh — a third consecutive year of growth — and NEV penetration climbed to 60.58%. Monthly output among the six major battery makers rose 7% in September, with Q3 capacity up 19% quarter-on-quarter. Energy storage is now the core growth engine: storage cells account for nearly 40% of September production scheduling, driven by AI data centers and overseas grid projects in the Middle East and the U.S.
2. Technology: solid-state enters the pre-mass-production phase
On the policy front, three national standards for EV solid-state batteries (performance, safety, and life) have been approved for development, with draft comments expected by year-end. China has also secured an IEC project for the world’s first international standard on solid-state batteries.
Industry announcements are coming thick and fast: BYD plans to launch solid-state-powered vehicles in 2027, with a sulfide-route cell at 400 Wh/kg and a prototype CLTC range of 1,218 km; its 20 GWh semi-solid production line in Chongqing will first power the Yangwang U8 and Han L in Q4 this year. CATL has completed a 1 GWh all-solid-state pilot line targeting small-batch production in 2027 — though its executives caution that the technology is only at “level 4 of 9” in maturity, with true scale-up at least five years away. Overseas, Mercedes-Benz-backed ProLogium announced mass production of its Gen 3.5 all-solid-state cell in early September, reaching 381 Wh/kg and 903 Wh/L.
Industry consensus: 2026 is the first year of semi-solid commercialization; 2027 marks demo installations of all-solid-state cells, with large-scale production expected around 2030.
3. Prices: lithium carbonate corrects, supply chain shifts
Lithium carbonate futures have fallen over 40% from their May peak of around ¥210,000/ton, dipping below ¥125,000/ton in mid-September. The correction is largely sentiment-driven — reports of output cutbacks by major cell makers, a shift in inventory statistics methodology, and softer ternary material scheduling. Spot demand remains robust, with basis widening and supply-demand staying broadly balanced for the rest of the year.
On the supply side, copper foil for batteries has moved from nominal overcapacity to effective shortage, with lead times extending for some specifications.
4. New forces: sodium-ion and AI
Since September 1, sodium-ion batteries have had their own HS code, accelerating exports. Hithium unveiled a sodium-ion storage system with a 30-year design life, targeting mass delivery in 2027. With costs 20–30% lower than lithium equivalents, sodium-ion is expected to scale first in storage applications. Meanwhile, AI is reshaping battery R&D — from material screening and intelligent design to smart manufacturing.
Bottom line: Strong demand and price volatility coexist in today’s market. For buyers, tracking raw-material cost trends and solid-state milestones matters more than chasing short-term moves. We’ll keep bringing you the latest industry insights.
