According to the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA), the total capacity of traction batteries in China reached 299.6 GWh in the first half of this year. CATL remains the market leader, though it has lost some market share.
The 299.6 GWh represent a growth of 47.3 per cent compared to the same period last year, CABIA statistics show. However, it is interesting to see how this production volume is distributed. The ten largest manufacturers maintained their dominant position with a combined market share of 93.6 per cent in the first half, but this figure is 2.5 percentage points lower than last year. “This trend suggests that while the leading companies still hold significant market power, new entrants and specialised firms are gradually finding their footing, leading to a more diversified industrial ecosystem,” concludes CarNewsChina.
Even within the top ten, there is a stark gap. CATL continues to lead the market unchallenged – together with second-placed BYD, the two companies account for 66.6 per cent of the market. This underlines the dominance of these two industry giants.
However, the emerging diversification is leaving its mark on the market leaders. CATL was the only company to achieve a three-digit result in the first half with 128.6 GWh, but its market share of 43.05 per cent is 3.33 percentage points down on last year. BYD also lost market share, falling by 1.55 percentage points to 23.55 per cent with 70.37 GWh.
| Rank | Company | Total installation | NCM | LFP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CATL | 128.6 | 38.81 | 89.79 |
| 2 | BYD | 70.37 | 0.02 | 70.34 |
| 3 | CALB | 19.46 | 5.85 | 13.61 |
| 4 | Gotion Tech | 15.48 | 0.29 | 15.2 |
| 5 | EVE Energie | 12.21 | 0.52 | 11.7 |
| 6 | Sunwoda | 9.07 | 1.06 | 8.01 |
| 7 | Svolt Energie | 8.4 | 3.13 | 5.27 |
| 8 | Rept Battero | 6.59 | – | 6.59 |
| 9 | Zenergy | 5.95 | 0.23 | 5.72 |
| 10 | Jidian | 4.23 | – | 4.23 |
Source: CarNewsChina
Behind the leading duo, three other companies produced a double-digit volume in the first half: CALB ranked third with 19.46 GWh, ahead of VW partner Gotion (15.48 GWh) and EVE Energy (12.21 GWh). Sunwoda and Svolt Energy followed closely with 9.07 and 8.4 GWh, respectively. Rept Battero (6.59 GWh), Zenergy (5.95 GWh) and Jidian (4.23 GWh) completed the top ten.
The CABIA statistics also distinguish between cell chemistries, enabling further insights: LFP cells dominate the Chinese market. All manufacturers produce more LFP cells than NMC cells, where the latter are offered at all. CATL is by far the largest NMC producer with 38.81 GWh – second-placed CALB produced only 5.85 GWh of NMC cells in the first half. Although CATL is the largest NMC producer, its LFP production alone would still place it ahead: 89.79 GWh is more than BYD, which specialises in LFP cells, produced in total.
