Despite the continuing use of lithium-ion batteries in billions of personal devices in the world, the energy sector now accounts for over 90% of annual lithium-ion battery demand. This is up from 50% for the energy sector in 2016, when the total lithium-ion battery market was 10-times smaller.
But a 2022 analysis by the McKinsey Battery Insights team projects that the entire lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery chain, from mining through recycling, could grow by over 30 percent annually from 2022 to 2030, when it would reach a value of more than $400 billion and a market size of 4.7 TWh. 1
Lithium-ion battery prices have declined from USD 1 400 per kilowatt-hour in 2010 to less than USD 140 per kilowatt-hour in 2023, one of the fastest cost declines of any energy technology ever, as a result of progress in research and development and economies of scale in manufacturing.
The global market for Lithium-ion batteries is expanding rapidly. We take a closer look at new value chain solutions that can help meet the growing demand.
Global cumulative lithium-ion battery capacity could rise over five-fold to 5,500 gigawatt-hour (GWh) between 2021 and 2030, says Wood Mackenzie, a Verisk business (Nasdaq:VRSK). The Asia Pacific region, led by China, accounted for 90% of the world’s battery manufacturing in 2021.
Further innovation in battery chemistries and manufacturing is projected to reduce global average lithium-ion battery costs by a further 40% from 2023 to 2030 and bring sodium‑ion batteries to the market. In the NZE Scenario, lithium-ion chemistries continue providing the vast majority of EV batteries to 2030.