CATL dominates global EV battery market for sixth straight year
The 2022 report from South Korean firm SNE Research shows that EV battery manufacturer CATL once again holds its title as the largest in the world by installed battery capacity. That’s now six years in a row that CATL leads the global EV battery market and based on 2022’s numbers, is showing no signs of slowing down.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd., better known as CATL, is a global energy technology company and the leading EV battery manufacturer in China. As a supplier to major EV automakers like Tesla, CATL has an ever-growing rolodex of EV clients demanding its products.
CATL also provides EV batteries to companies like NIO and Volkswagen, in addition to the Fisker Ocean SUV. In recent years, CATL has also begun developing other battery technologies and even launched its own EV battery swap brand. All on its way to becoming a globally carbon neutral brand.
Last year, SNE Research released its annual report for 2021, which showed a big lead by CATL. Following this year’s report, CATL’s share of the global EV battery market grew even more while other competitors saw their percentages shrink.
CATL’s lead in the EV battery market grew in 2022
According to the most recent report from SNE Research in South Korea, global EV battery usage was 517.9 GWh in 2022, up 71.8% compared to a year prior. Based off data trends from the research firms compiled data, it predicts battery consumption will jump to 749 GWh in 2023.
Based on battery usage in 2022, CATL lead by more than double its second place competitor with 191.6 GWh. As a result, its percentage of the EV battery market grew to 37%. LG Energy Solution takes silver for a second year in a row, but saw its share of the market drop by over 6%.
Panasonic was in third place at the end of 2021, but also saw a drop in EV battery market share by nearly 5%, causing it to be usurped by Chinese battery maker BYD for bronze. In fact, BYD is the only company besides CATL in the top six of the list that saw market share growth in 2022. Per the SNE Research:
Japanese companies showed a relatively low growth rate, and their market share also decreased compared to the previous year. Panasonic grew by 4.6% compared to the previous year, and its market share decreased by 4.7%. In the case of Panasonic, as one of Tesla’s main battery suppliers, it was able to continue its growth trend thanks to increased sales of Tesla vehicles in the North American market and increased sales of TOYOTA ‘s BZ4X.
In contrast , Chinese companies including CATL and BYD showed explosive growth. CATL ‘s growth was driven by increased sales of Tesla Model 3/Y, GAC ‘s Aion Y, and Geely ‘s ZEEKR 001. BYD ‘s high growth was driven by high sales of BEVs and PHEVs in China’s domestic market, including Yuan, Han, and Qin PLUS EVs.
While CATL feels untouchable for yet another year, this is overall good news for all of these companies, who are seeing a demand for their battery products that still far outweighs their capacity. Furthermore, many are collaborating with US automakers to establish production footprints in North America to help more EVs qualify for federal tax credits.
You know, as soon as we get that tardy battery guidance from the US Department of Treasury.
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Solar panel giant Qcells announced today that it’s temporarily furloughing 1,000 US workers – 25% of its workforce – and reducing pay and shifts at its factories in northeast Georgia due to supply chain delays caused by US Customs.
Qcells furloughs 1,000 workers
The supply chain delays are hindering the company’s ability to import components to build its solar panels. This has resulted in Qcells’ two factories in Cartersville and Dalton being unable to operate at full capacity for several months.
Qcells spokeswoman Marta Stoepker shared the following statement in an exclusive with Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta:
The company says the furloughed workers, who were notified this afternoon, will retain full benefits and won’t be laid off. However, Qcells will no longer be using staffing agency employees in Georgia “at this time.”
As Qcells introduced new supply chains to support its growing solar panel manufacturing facilities in Georgia, the company was recently forced to scale back production while our shipments into the US were delayed in the customs clearance process.
Although our supply chain operations are beginning to normalize, today we shared with our employees that HR actions must be taken to improve operational efficiency until production capacity returns to normal levels.
Stoepker said it expects to bring the furloughed workers back “in the coming weeks and months.” She continued:
Our commitment to building the entire solar supply chain in the United States remains. We will soon be back on track with the full force of our Georgia team delivering American-made energy to communities around the country.
Electrek’s Take
In January 2023, the Seoul-headquartered Qcells announced it would invest more than $2.5 billion to build a solar supply chain in Georgia – the largest-ever investment in clean energy manufacturing in the US to date. That included expanding the Dalton solar factory and building a fully integrated solar supply chain factory in Cartersville, Georgia, that will manufacture solar ingots, wafers, cells, and finished panels.
It’s not quite there yet, because that takes time. In the meantime, it’s being penalized by Customs. The US government under Trump says it’s keen on boosting domestic manufacturing. Why would it work against a company that’s onshoring an entire solar supply chain, including recycling?
Dalton and Cartersville employ nearly 4,000 people. Its total output will reach 8.4 GW of solar production capacity per year, which is equivalent to nearly 46,000 panels per day – enough to power approximately 1.3 million homes annually.
It’s ludicrous that it has been forced to furlough a quarter of its workforce due to the ineptness of the Trump administration’s US Customs policies. This is right up there with the ICE arrests at Hyundai’s plant in Georgia. Bravo.
Read more: Georgia gives US solar panel manufacturing a big boost with a new factory
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The breakthrough EV batteries Toyota says will double driving range and cut charging times are facing another setback. The company is once again delaying plans for a new battery plant in Japan.
Why is Toyota delaying its EV battery plant this time?
Earlier this year, Toyota bought a 280,000-square-meter plot of land in Fukuoka, Japan, where it planned to build a plant to produce the more advanced EV batteries.
A location agreement was expected to be signed by April, but Toyota pushed back construction by several months, blaming slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles.
The agreement was expected to be finalized this Fall, but that will no longer be the case. According to Nikkei, Toyota is delaying the EV battery plant for the second time. Toyota will review and adjust plans over the next year.
Fukuoka governor, Seitaro Hattori, confirmed the news with reporters on Friday following a meeting with Toyota’s president, Koji Sato. Hattori also shut down claims that Toyota was planning to scrap the battery plant altogether.
Toyota again blamed slowing EV demand for the delay. The decision comes despite Keiji Kaita, president of Toyota’s Carbon Neutral Advanced Engineering Development Center, confirming at the Japan Mobility Show just last week that it’s “sticking on the schedule” to introduce its first solid-state battery-powered EV by 2028.
Last month, Toyota said it aimed to “achieve the world’s first practical use of all-solid-state batteries in BEVs” after securing a partnership with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. to mass-produce them. It’s also working with Japanese oil giant Idemitsu.
The company recently revealed a solid-state battery pack prototype that it claims can deliver 747 miles (1,200 km) range and 10-minute fast charging, but will we ever see it actually in production?
Electrek’s Take
Toyota has been making empty promises about EV batteries for almost a decade now. It initially planned to introduce solid-state EV batteries in 2020, then pushed it to 2023, then 2026, and now it’s saying it will be around 2028.
Mass production is likely closer to the end of the decade, if Toyota doesn’t delay it again. While it’s blaming the slowing demand, global EV sales are still on the rise. According to Rho Motion, global EV sales topped 2 million for the first time in a single month in September 2025. Through the first nine months of the year, EV sales are up 26% compared to the same period in 2024.
Even with the US ending the $7,500 federal tax credit and other policies designed to promote electric vehicles, global adoption will continue building momentum over the next few years.
Is it a demand issue, or is Toyota just looking for another excuse? With rivals like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW, and Honda advancing next-gen EV batteries, Toyota will only fall further behind if it continues delaying key projects.
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