As volumes increased, battery costs plummeted and energy density — a key metric of a battery’s quality — rose steadily. Over the past 30 years, battery costs have fallen by a dramatic 99 percent; meanwhile, the density of top-tier cells has risen fivefold.
BloombergNEF’s annual battery price survey finds prices increased by 7% from 2021 to 2022 New York, December 6, 2022 – Rising raw material and battery component prices and soaring inflation have led to the first ever increase in lithium-ion battery pack prices since BloombergNEF (BNEF) began tracking the market in 2010.
BNEF expects average battery pack prices to drop again next year, reaching $133/kWh (in real 2023 dollars). Localizing battery manufacturing in regions such as the US and Europe could put upward pressure on battery pack prices due to higher costs associated with energy, equipment, land, and labor compared to Asia.
While prices for key battery metals like lithium, nickel and cobalt have moderated slightly in recent months, BNEF expects average battery pack prices to remain elevated in 2023 at $152/kWh (in real 2022 dollars).
On a regional basis, battery pack prices were cheapest in China, at $127/kWh. Packs in the US and Europe were 24% and 33% higher, respectively. Higher prices reflect the relative immaturity of these markets, the higher production costs, the diverse range of applications and battery imports.
Higher battery prices could also hurt the economics of energy storage projects. Yayoi Sekine, head of energy storage at BNEF, said: “Despite a setback on price declines, battery demand is still reaching new records each year. Demand will reach 603GWh in 2022, which is almost double that in 2021.