Comparative analysis of the development stage and competitive landscape of consumer lithium batteries and power batteries

Lithium batteries can be mainly divided into consumer lithium batteries and power batteries according to application scenarios. Consumer lithium batteries began in 1991, and nearly three decades have witnessed a relatively complete industrial development cycle. Power batteries started on its basis, and they have developed rapidly since 2011, and shipments have surpassed strongly in 2017, and currently account for the highest proportion of downstream applications of lithium batteries.

1. Comparison of the development stage of consumer lithium battery and power battery

1. Consumer lithium battery development stage

At present, the main lithium battery market is still the 'three-part world' of China, Japan and South Korea. The development process of consumer batteries can be roughly divided into the following four stages: 1991~1999: Japan monopolizes, China and South Korea get involved. 2000~2006: Separate efforts, the gap narrowed. 2007~2016: the rise of smart phones, China, Japan and South Korea are divided into three parts. 2017 to present: The market has matured and new scenarios have emerged.

The market has matured and new scenarios have emerged. At present, the growth rate of consumer lithium batteries is slowing down due to the gradual saturation of the smartphone market, the main downstream market. However, with the rise of new electronic products such as wearable devices, e-cigarettes, drones, and wireless Bluetooth speakers, there is still room for a wide range of scenarios for consumer lithium batteries. The emergence of 5G technology also puts forward new requirements on the battery life and charging speed of consumer lithium batteries. There is still room for development of consumer lithium batteries in terms of industry demand and technological progress.

2. Power battery development stage

In analogy to consumer lithium batteries, the development process of power battery can be divided into the following three stages: 1995~2007: Early exploration, Japanese monopoly. 2008~2013: South Korea exerts its strength, and China gradually enters. 2014 to present: Three pillars stand together, China rises.

Since 2014, with the outbreak of the new energy vehicle market, China’s market share of power batteries has rapidly expanded, surpassing Japan and South Korea in just two years, becoming the world’s largest power Battery producing country. China has now become the world's largest market for new energy vehicles, strongly driving the output of domestic power batteries to rank first in the world. However, with the liberalization of the 'white list' system, domestic batteries will compete head-to-head with Japanese and Korean companies, and changes in the market structure are waiting to be seen.

2. Comparing the competitive landscape of consumer lithium battery and power battery industries

As an industry that grows on the basis of consumer lithium battery , The power battery has performed a similar development process, and also inherited some of the same competitors. From the perspective of the top ten companies in the market share of consumer lithium batteries and power batteries, there are five companies with the same or historical origins, and the combined market share of these companies accounted for more than half of their respective markets. As the market trends change, these industry giants have switched product directions and continue to compete in the new battlefield.