South Korean media: Chinese companies sweep the global negative electrode material market, South Korea and Japan combined less than 5%!

On August 6, the South Korean media "Seoul Economic Daily" published an article stating that the market for negative electrode materials, a key component of electric vehicle batteries, is growing rapidly, increasing by more than 40% in just five months. Behind this growth, China is consolidating its monopoly position with a market share of 95%, while South Korea and Japan are struggling to catch up.

According to market research company SNE Research, the total usage of negative electrode materials for electric vehicles globally from January to May this year was approximately 471,900 tons, an increase of 42.1% year-on-year. Negative electrode materials, together with positive electrode materials, are key materials that determine the performance of lithium-ion batteries, affecting battery life, charging speed, and energy density.

The total installation of negative electrode materials in markets outside China was approximately 181,200 tons, an increase of 27.6% year-on-year. Although the growth rate is relatively slow compared to the global market, it still maintains a steady growth trend.

From the perspective of global market share, Chinese companies Shanshan Co., Ltd. and BTR have dominated the market, ranking first and second respectively. These two companies have a wide customer base, providing products to major battery manufacturers such as Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), BYD, and LG Energy Solution.

The third-ranked company is Chinese company Shangtai, with a shipment of 49,900 tons, an increase of 68.5% year-on-year. The fourth and fifth ranked companies, Kaixin and Zhongke Xingcheng, also increased by 49.7% and 6.5% respectively.

From the perspective of corporate nationality, Chinese companies continue to dominate, occupying about 95% of the market share. These companies are further consolidating their market leadership through active capacity expansion and technological advancement, while strengthening cooperation with battery companies. With the continuous growth in demand for electric vehicles, they are expanding the adoption of silicon-based composite negative electrode materials.

Korean companies are actively entering the market, centered around POSCO Future M and Daejeon Electronic Materials, but their market share remains at 2.7%. Japanese companies have even lower shares, only 2.0%. Hitachi and Mitsubishi seem to be gradually losing competitiveness due to their conservative strategies of relying on existing customers.

In recent times, with the commercialization process of silicon-based composite negative electrode materials proceeding vigorously, the global negative electrode material market is showing signs of technological transformation. Chinese major companies have established mass production systems for silicon-based composite negative electrode materials and are expanding their product lines through cooperation with large battery companies such as CATL and BYD. Bridging the technological gap and meeting the demand for high-value-added products has become a key competitive factor. It is expected that companies with both technological strength and stable supply chains will occupy a leading position in the medium to long term.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839706204868620/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.