Lithium World (Lithium Battery World Ranking)

The world's five top lithium battery giants

According to the research data published by South Korea's SNeresearch, the global sales of power lithium batteries in 2019 are approx. Among them, the total sales of the top ten companies are lithium-ion batteries, accounting for the total global sales, fully indicating that the current power battery sector, the market is very concentrated.

The world's top three company giants are: China Ningde Time, Japan Panasonic, South Korea LGchem. global lithium battery production as a whole, the global power lithium battery field has formed China, Japan, South Korea, the three-legged trend, the world's top ten companies are all China, Japan and South Korea, and occupy nearly 90% of the market share, while Europe and the United States lack of heavyweight related companies.

 

According to the latest data from SNE Research, a South Korean market research firm, the global installed capacity of power batteries in electric vehicles will reach 137 GWh in 2020, of which Ningde Time has become the world's largest power battery company with 34 GWh of installed capacity and market share. It is worth mentioning that this is also the fourth consecutive reigning global champion of Ningde Times since 2017. The following is a comprehensive overview of the top 10 global lithium battery giants based on specific circumstances as follows.

 

 

1.Ningde Times (China)

 

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Installed capacity: 34GWH

 

Global status : The world's number one lithium battery giant. Manufacturer of lithium-ion power batteries for the supply chain of top international car companies.

 

Overview and technical characteristics: Ningde Times New Energy Technology Company Limited was established in 2011, is one of the first internationally competitive power battery manufacturers in China, focusing on the development, production and sales of new energy vehicle power battery systems, energy storage systems, committed to providing first-class solutions for global new energy applications, core technologies include in the field of power and energy storage batteries, materials, cells, batteries The core technologies include materials, cells, battery systems, battery recycling, etc. in the field of power and energy storage batteries, as well as the R&D and manufacturing capabilities of the whole industry chain.

 

It is worth mentioning that Ningde Times was a global leader in power lithium battery shipments in 2017, reaching, and successfully occupying a place in the global market, and also becoming the first domestic lithium-ion power battery manufacturer to enter the supply chain of top international car companies. In particular, in 2017, the installed power battery volume surpassed Panasonic to become the world's No. 1; in 2018 and 2019, Ningde Times has become the supplier of global automotive giants such as Volkswagen, Daimler, Jaguar Land Rover, PSA, Volvo and Toyota, and other international first-class car companies.

 

Ningde Times was named to the "2019 Forbes China's Most Innovative Companies List" and ranked No. 4 on the 2019 Fortune Future 50 list. Selected as one of the 2019 China Brand Power Gala Model 100 brands. 2021 In July, Ningde Times officially launched sodium-ion batteries.

 

Ningde Times has laid out 8 bases: Shanghai, Ningde, Fujian, Xining, Qinghai, Liyang, Jiangsu, Yibin, Sichuan, Yichun, Jiangxi, Zhaoqing, Guangdong and Thuringia, Germany.

 

ATL was founded in 1999, with Zeng Yuqun, Liang Shaokang and Chen Tonghua as the original founders, on the basis of a Bell Labs patent for a lithium polymer battery purchased for over $1 million, but at the time the patent had a huge loophole - a bulging problem with repeated charging. -There was a bulging problem with repeated charging, and the battery was at risk of explosion. Zeng Yuqun rose to the challenge and eventually solved the problem, commercialised the battery and applied for a new patent. This technology has since become the foundation of ATL. It is worth mentioning that ATL successfully entered the Apple industry chain by solving the problem of low cycle times of Apple's MP3 lithium batteries in 2004, and became a global industry giant in one leap.

 

In June 2008, Chen Tongfa laid the foundation stone for the country's largest polymer lithium-ion battery project at a cost of US$200 million in Zeng Yuqun's hometown of Lantian, Jiaocheng, Ningde.

 

The biggest feature of Ningde Times is that it focuses on ternary lithium batteries with a higher range. If lithium iron phosphate batteries were chosen at the time, they would have been safer but with a low battery capacity ceiling; ternary batteries would have been high in capacity but low in safety. It is worth mentioning that BYD, the domestic electric vehicle boss at that time, chose the safer lithium iron phosphate battery, while Ningde Time was ALL IN with the ternary battery.

 

Ningde Times pays great attention to R&D, with more than 3,300 R&D staff, accounting for 23% of the total. Ningde Times as early as 2017 R&D expenditure accounted for the proportion of the year's operating income, and the publicly licensed patents have exceeded 2,800. If South Korea's LG technology reserves are more comprehensive and Japan's Panasonic battery technology is more advanced, then Ningde Times has both and a balanced performance. For example, in 2019 Ningde Times' cost is about 15% lower than its overseas battery counterparts. It is worth mentioning that Ningde Times entered the Tesla supply chain, fully reflecting the superior performance of Ningde products, surpassing overseas leaders Panasonic and LG.

 

Ningde's circle of friends is very strong. In the domestic and customer joint venture alliance, especially for overseas brands multi-point breakthrough, important companies in the form of equity lock cut into the supply chain of high-end independent brands. In terms of domestic brand customers, Ningde Times has maintained long-term strategic cooperation with leading vehicle manufacturers in the industry, such as Yutong Group, SAIC Group, BAIC Group, Geely Group, Fuzhou Group, China Motor Group, Dongfeng Group and Chang'an Group, and also cooperated with emerging vehicle manufacturers such as Weilai Auto (including internet car companies and smart car companies), and actively laid out the smart car sector. Among the global giants, large orders from BMW and Tesla are also coming in.

 

 

2.Panasonic (Japan)

 

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Installed capacity: 25GWH

 

Global status: One of the world's three largest lithium battery manufacturers, with a global reputation for leading the world in many fields. Panasonic is the battery supplier to the US automotive giant Tesla.

 

Overview and technical features: Panasonic is a world-renowned Japanese multinational company with more than 230 companies worldwide and sales of more than US$61 billion in 2001, making it the 26th largest manufacturing company in the world. Panasonic's branded products include home appliances, digital audio-visual electronics, office products and aerospace, and Panasonic is renowned for being a world leader in many fields.

 

Panasonic Corporation was founded in 1918 by Mr. Konosuke Matsushita, who is known as the "God of Management". The company was founded as a small workshop by three people, one of whom was the founder of Sanyo, Mr. Toshio Inoue. Over the generations, it has become a world-renowned international conglomerate of integrated electronics technology companies.

 

The Japanese company Panasonic has signed an agreement with the American electric car giant Tesla Motors, under which Panasonic will supply battery packs for Tesla's Model S for the next four years and Panasonic must guarantee an adequate supply of batteries. The cooperation will help Tesla to achieve increased profits from the sales of Model S models.

 

It is reported that Panasonic and Tesla have jointly developed a nickel-based lithium battery pack after a long period of best efforts, which will be used in Tesla's Model S models. According to foreign media reports, on October 25, 2021, at a media roundtable, Panasonic debuted the company's new battery, the 4680 prototype battery. This advanced battery has five times the storage capacity of the existing battery. Kazuo Tadanobu, head of Panasonic's battery division, said that the launch of this battery would help deepen Panasonic's business partnership with Tesla. Panasonic has established a test line for the 4680 battery in Japan. With a diameter of 46mm and a height of 80mm, the 4680 battery will not only store more power but also halve the cost of producing the battery, Tesla said. Tesla hopes to increase production of the 4680 battery by 100 times by 2030.

 

The Tesla 4680 Li-ion battery with be first released in September 2020. With a single cell diameter of 46mm, a height of 80mm and an increased energy density of 300kWh/kg, the battery uses laser-processed lugless technology to reduce overall weight and increase production speed, resulting in a combined 16% increase in electric vehicle range, a six-fold increase in power output and a 14% reduction in cost.

 

In 1992, Sony was the first to invent the lithium-ion battery, and by 1998, Panasonic's 18650 cylindrical batteries were being installed in large quantities in notebook computers around the world. Unlike Sony, which had been inactive in the home appliance sector, Panasonic chose to take this battery across borders. And this is the automotive sector. In the same year that Sony invented the lithium battery, Panasonic had already created the first generation of NiMH batteries for electric cars. 1993 saw the establishment of Panasonic Electric Vehicle Energy Co Ltd, a company funded by Toyota and financed by Panasonic, and in 1997 the world's first hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, was launched with a square NiMH battery made by Panasonic. 2013 saw the "Japan Revitalisation Strategy In 2013, the "Japan Revitalisation Strategy" brought hydrogen energy to the level of national policy, and Toyota abandoned the pure electric direction and started to develop hydrogen energy vehicles while returning to the hybrid route. Panasonic's main focus turned to start tailoring pure electric solutions for Tesla, with amateur still continuing to provide hybrid solutions for Toyota. As a result, Panasonic's unique cylindrical battery process in the industry and Tesla's smiling BMS electric control technology began to work together to open up the pure electric era of new energy vehicles.

 

It is worth noting that after working together to create the stunning Model S and Model X series, Panasonic's power cell technology is at its peak in the Model 3. Panasonic batteries + seamless Tesla electric control + Model 3, for example.

 

If Panasonic is compared with the leading boss Ningde Times, Panasonic is more advanced and mature in terms of technology, while there is no doubt that Ningde Times is far ahead in terms of market share. For example, one of the reasons why Tesla chose Panasonic's 18650 lithium battery is that it uses NCA as the positive electrode and has designed a complex battery management system, thus ensuring and improving the efficiency and safety of the battery work as much as possible.

 

 

3.LG Chem (South Korea)

 

Occupancy reference.

 

Installed capacity: 31GWH

 

LG Chem is the only battery supplier for the China-made Model Y, the main battery supplier for the European market and the main battery supplier for electric vehicles in the US.

 

Overview and technical characteristics: LG Group was founded in 1947 in Seoul, Korea, and is located at 20 Yeouido-dong, Yeungdeungpo-gu, Seoul. LG Group is an international conglomerate that leads the world in industrial development and has more than 300 overseas offices in 171 countries and regions. LG Chem is a Korean battery manufacturer and developer.

 

LG Chem is one of the first companies to enter the lithium battery industry and has a deep understanding of soft pack and cylindrical technology, with a stable market share in the top three globally. LG's customers include overseas first-tier car companies, such as Volkswagen, Daimler, General Motors, Hyundai Kia and so on. In the long term, LG's overseas market share is expected to reach 30%, and in the domestic market, LG intends to establish a joint venture battery plant with Geely, and its share is expected to reach 10% in the future. In terms of technology, LG began to lay out its efforts in soft pack at the earliest, covering most of the core patents and compressing the space of other soft pack rivals. The global market share of soft pack batteries is about 16%, but LG has obvious advantages such as safety, high energy density and flexible shape, and its share is expected to increase in the future. In terms of supply chain, LG produces most of its ternary cathodes, and has supplied its own diaphragms and electrolytes.

 

LG Chem had strong sales in the European market with Renault Zoe, Audi e-tron, Porsche Taycan, Mercedes-Benz EQC, Jaguar I-PACE and other models, and these models are supplied by LG Chem automotive batteries. More importantly, LG's installed base in China has risen sharply on the back of strong sales of the Tesla Model 3, particularly in the second quarter of this year when it achieved its best single quarterly performance in the history of its power battery business, with sales reaching approximately RMB16.5 billion and operating profit of KRW155.5 billion, or approximately RMB900 million.

 

LG Chem is the sole supplier of batteries for the Chinese-made Model Y. LG Chem is also a major supplier of batteries to the European market and is a major supplier of batteries for electric vehicles in the United States, as well as a major supplier of batteries for the domestic Tesla model 3. LG Chem will invest US$500 million next year to increase its annual production capacity of 2,170 cylindrical cells at its Nanjing plant by 8 GWh. In addition, LG Chem will export some of its China-made batteries to Tesla's German and US plants, marking LG Chem as one of the major suppliers to Tesla as it expands globally.

 

 

4.BYD (China)

 

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Installed capacity: 10GWH

 

Global position: BYD as the world's leading manufacturer of secondary rechargeable batteries. BYD's blade batteries are unique in the world.

 

Overview and technical features: Founded in 1995 and listed on the Hong Kong Main Board on 31 July 2002, BYD is a world-renowned high-tech private enterprise with three major industrial groups: IT, automotive and new energy.

 

BYD has nine production bases in Guangdong, Beijing, Shaanxi, Shanghai and Tianjin, and has branches or offices in the United States, Europe, Japan, Korea and India, as well as in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

 

BYD's IT industry mainly includes secondary rechargeable batteries, chargers, electro-acoustic products, connectors, LCD modules, plastic mechanism parts, metal parts, hardware and electronic products, mobile phone keys, keyboards, flexible circuit boards, micro-electronic products, LED products, opto-electronic products, as well as mobile phone decoration, mobile phone design and mobile phone assembly business. BYD's major major customers include Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and other top customer groups in the international communications industry.

 

As the world's leading manufacturer of secondary rechargeable batteries, BYD's IT and electronic components industry has covered all core components and assembly business for mobile phones, and its market share of nickel batteries, lithium batteries for mobile phones and mobile phone keys has reached the first place worldwide. BYD was once awarded the first place in the "Best Listed Company Management Award 2002" by Asiamoney, a global authoritative publication. It is worth mentioning that on 27 September 2008, China-America Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment flagship of the famous American investor Warren Buffett, announced that it would subscribe for 100 million shares of BYD at a price of HK$8 per share, representing approximately 10% of BYD's shares after the placement, for a total transaction amount of approximately HK$1.8 billion (equivalent to US$100 million). Warren Buffett's investment indicates his recognition of BYD's growth prospects and brand value.

 

BYD has previously entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Daimler AG of Germany to enter into a joint venture for electric vehicles. The two companies' advanced experience in electric vehicle architecture and battery technology and electric drive systems will be integrated. BYD and Salt Lake Co. established the Qinghai Salt Lake BYD Resources Development Co., Ltd. and launched the construction of a 30,000 tonne per annum battery grade lithium carbonate project. BYD and Arsenal Football Club entered into a partnership to become Arsenal's official and exclusive global car and bus partner. BYD became the 100th partner of Baidu's Apollo program. BYD and Changan Automobile entered into a strategic partnership to set up a power battery joint venture.

 

BYD achieved energy storage based on core iron battery technology, forming a technical support for smart networks. Relying on advanced iron battery technology, BYD battery storage power stations can meet the needs of energy storage, peak and valley reduction, and solve the energy storage problems of smart networks in construction by balancing power consumption, forming a technical support for smart networks and smoothing new energy power fluctuations such as wind and solar energy. At the same time, BYD energy storage power station compared to pumped storage, compressed air energy storage, flywheel energy storage and other existing energy storage technology, has obvious cost and operating life advantages, energy storage efficiency is as high as 90%, much higher than pumped storage 60-70%, economic benefits are very prominent, huge demand, broad application prospects.

 

BYD's pure electric vehicles mainly use two types of batteries, one is a ternary lithium battery, the other is lithium iron phosphate battery. As a pioneer of new energy vehicles in China, BYD was one of the first car companies to launch new energy vehicles. For example, the Qin and e6 models were launched at this time. At this time, BYD's pure electric car on the use of lithium iron phosphate battery, after all, BYD has been in the research and development of lithium iron phosphate battery, lithium iron phosphate battery is also its fist product.
 

It is worth mentioning that BYD had launched the blade battery, which is also known as lithium iron phosphate battery. The blade battery is structurally innovative, for example, it is able to increase the energy density by 50% for the same volume, already catching up with the energy density of ternary lithium batteries in the same period. Importantly, the cost has also been significantly reduced by 30%, while safety has also been significantly improved. As a result, BYD's blade battery is unique, very distinctive and exclusive.

 

Compared to Ningde Time's use of ternary material batteries, which are characterised by higher energy density, but are much less safe. BYD uses lithium iron phosphate batteries, energy density is not as good as ternary materials, but the safety factor is higher. In fact, Ningde times bet ternary material battery technology, more is the product of the times, such as new energy has a large number of government subsidies, and the conditions of subsidies is that the longer the range the higher the subsidies. All new energy vehicle enterprises want to get subsidies must use domestic battery technology.

 

BYD pays more attention to safety and does not deliberately pursue energy density. For example, BYD's blade battery is far better than Ningde Times in terms of difficulty of repair, because the blade battery can only manage the bad part. Ningde Time batteries are significantly better than blade batteries in terms of charging speed.

 

 

5.Samsung SDI (South Korea)

 

Occupancy reference value.

 

Installed capacity: 8GWH

 

Global position: Samsung SDI dominates the global small consumer lithium battery market. BMW has launched a pure electric car Megacity power battery supplier.

 

Overview and technical characteristics: The Samsung Group is the largest multinational conglomerate in South Korea, with businesses in electronics, finance, machinery, chemicals and many other fields. The Samsung Group was founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-chul. The Samsung Group is a family-owned company, with the Lee family being hereditary, and all Samsung properties are family-owned and managed by other members of the family.

 

Its subsidiaries include: Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, Samsung SDS, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung Corning, Samsung Network, Samsung Fire, Samsung Securities, Samsung Property, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung Engineering, Samsung Aerospace and Samsung Life, three of which were named by Fortune magazine as among the top 500 companies in the world. Samsung Electronics is its largest subsidiary, occupying the 40th position among the top 500 companies in the world in 2009. The world's most respected companies are ranked 50th and Samsung's brand value is ranked 19th.

 

From a research report previously released by GF Securities, it was learned that among the top ten lithium battery companies in the world, there are two in Japan, two in Korea and the rest are all Chinese companies, of which Ningde Time and BYD are the leading companies in China. According to the starting point research statistics, Japan's Panasonic and Sony once accounted for global sales, South Korea's LG Chemical and Samsung SDI occupied, the vast majority of the rest produced by China. As early as 2000, Samsung SDI began to enter the field of power batteries. 2015 Samsung SDI 100% acquisition of MagnaSteyr engaged in the battery business subsidiary MSBS, since then Samsung SDI structure to establish a complete electric vehicle battery business system from battery cells, modules to battery packs. In the global small consumer lithium battery market, it can be said that Samsung SDI is the leader. However, in the field of power batteries, compared to the global giants Panasonic and LG Chem, Samsung SDI was a little behind in terms of revenue and power battery shipments.

 

In July 2014, Samsung SDI and BMW signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the supply of electric car batteries and jointly develop new generation battery materials, further strengthening the partnership between Samsung SDI and BMW on power batteries. The partnership on power batteries was further strengthened. It is worth noting that Samsung SDI has been selected as the core battery supplier for more than 30 vehicle electrification projects, and the number of projects is increasing. For example, the first cars to be fitted with Samsung SDI batteries are the Fiat 500e (pure electric car), the BMW i3 (pure electric car), the BMW i8 (plug-in hybrid) and many other models from OEMs.

 

Samsung SDI differs from Panasonic and LG Chem in that Samsung SDI power battery packages are mainly in square form, while actively following up on the production of 21700 batteries, with ternary NCM and NCA materials being used as the main cathode materials. Square hard-shell batteries are capable of producing large-capacity single cells. In addition, the square battery shell is mostly aluminum alloy, stainless steel and other materials, the internal use of coiled or stacked sheet technology, the protection of the cell is better than the aluminum-plastic film battery (i.e. soft pack battery), the safety of the cell compared to cylindrical batteries has also been greatly improved. The shortcoming of square batteries is that there are too many models and the process is difficult to unify.

 

Samsung SDI relies on the strong capital, research and development and resource strength of the Samsung Group to make its presence felt in the field of power batteries. In addition to square power batteries, Samsung SDI also insists on developing cylindrical power batteries and solid-state batteries. Especially in the area of solid-state batteries, for example, at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show, Samsung SDI presented its "Blueprint for Solid-State Battery Technology Development" in an effort to dominate the technology competition in the future electric vehicle market. Apple founder Steve Jobs once said, "It takes a great product to make a company that lasts." This statement also applies to power battery companies. In fact, in the deep reshuffling process of the power battery industry, the core competitiveness that determines the lifeblood of power battery companies lies in product quality, performance and differentiation features, and no one will be an exception.

 

Where is the world's largest lithium battery production base now

Hello, according to current statistics, the world's largest lithium battery production base is located in Nantong City, Jiangsu Province, China. Nantong has the largest lithium battery production base in the world, accounting for over 50% of the global lithium battery market. With over 200 lithium battery manufacturers, the base produces over 100 million lithium batteries per year, dominating the global lithium battery market. In addition, the site has advanced lithium battery production equipment and a comprehensive quality management system to ensure the quality of lithium batteries. In addition, the site has a first-class research and development team that constantly introduces new lithium battery technologies to meet market demand.