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This study quantifies the consumption of key lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery materials and focuses on gauging the impact that key market developments, like the advancements in battery chemistries, the rapid increase in electric vehicle (EV) sales, an ever-tightening regulatory scenario, and a shift in consumer preferences towards EVs, etc., are expected to have on the demand for individual materials between 2020 and 2027.

The study (an update of Frost & Sullivan’s study on Li-ion battery materials, published in 2020) quantifies the consumption of key material types, namely cathode materials, anode materials, electrolytes, separators, binders, and adhesives & sealants. On the basis of applications, the study analyses the demand for battery materials from applications such as EVs, industrial and energy storage systems (ESS), consumer electronics, and others (medical & healthcare devices and portable tools). The study quantifies the consumption of each of these material types on the basis of a robust methodology comprising an analysis of total Li-ion battery production, EV production volumes, uptake of the considered materials, and supply of those materials.

After having registered a lackluster growth in 2019, the global EV sales registered a sharp surge (+35% y-o-y) in 2020. The global EV sales (BEVs and PHEVs) nearly quadrupled between 2016 and 2020. The global EV sales volume was estimated at nearly 3.1 Mn units for 2020. This is despite the raging pandemic, ensuing containment measures, and supply disruptions, and in sharp contrast with the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle sales that plummeted by 14% in 2020. As the demand gathers momentum and as more and more large global-scale battery facilities come online, production costs and average price are expected to register further declines, thereby inching closer to the coveted tipping point, where the gap between ICE vehicles and EVs disappears.