Global lithium production totalled 100,000 tons (90.7 million kg) last year, while worldwide reserves stand at about 22 million tons (20 billion kg), according to the US Geological Survey. Dividing lithium production by the amount needed per battery shows that enough lithium was mined last year to make just under 11.4 million EV batteries.
Production in Europe and the United States reached 110 GWh and 70 GWh of EV batteries in 2023, and 2.5 million and 1.2 million EVs, respectively. In Europe, the largest battery producers are Poland, which accounted for about 60% of all EV batteries produced in the region in 2023, and Hungary (almost 30%).
As of Jan 2019, the world's leading EV and battery manufacturer had a pipeline capacity of 68 plants with a total capacity of 1.45TWh. In 2019, they added a huge 564GWh to the global total of 2068.3GWh, which is the equivalent of 40 million EVs by 2028.
Dividing lithium production by the amount needed per battery shows that enough lithium was mined last year to make just under 11.4 million EV batteries. This is a level that annual electric vehicle purchases could hit soon, after first-quarter sales rose by 75% on the year to touch 2 million, according to IEA figures.
Germany leads the production of EVs in Europe and accounted for nearly 50% of European EV production in 2023, followed by France and Spain (with just under 10% each). Battery production in China is more integrated than in the United States or Europe, given China’s leading role in upstream stages of the supply chain.
The following countries have significant lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity: Australia, Spain, Canada, Portugal, United States, Switzerland, Thailand, Finland, France, Belgium, Japan, Italy, Poland, World, Indonesia, Greece, Mexico, China, South Africa, Netherlands, Chile, and Korea. [Chart and data by the International Energy Agency].