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Lithium-ion (Li-ion) has become the dominant rechargeable battery chemistry for consumer electronics devices and is poised to become commonplace for industrial, transportation and power-storage applications. This chemistry is different from previously popular rechargeable battery chemistries (e.g., nickel metal hydride, nickel cadmium and lead acid) in a number of ways. From a technological standpoint, because of high energy density, the demand for Li-ion rechargeable batteries has been driven by the rapid growth of electronic portable equipment, such as cellular phones, laptops and digital cameras. In addition, market demand has been boosted by the expectation that rechargeable batteries will play a large role in alternative energy technology, as well as in electric bikes (e-bikes), electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid vehicles, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and stationary energy storage applications such as medical, telecommunication, solar power storage, unmanned vehicles, remote stations, telecom sector, data center and remote location batteries.

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

This study focuses on rechargeable Li-ion batteries, providing market data about the size and growth of the battery application segments and new developments, and it includes a detailed patent analysis, company profiles and industry trends. The goal of this report is to provide a detailed and comprehensive multi-client study of the market in North America, Europe, Japan, China, India, Korea and the rest of the world (ROW) for these batteries and potential business opportunities.

The objectives include thorough coverage of the underlying economic issues driving the use of the rechargeable Li-ion battery, as well as assessments of new advanced batteries that are being developed. Another important objective is to provide realistic market data and forecasts. This report provides the most thorough and up-to-date assessment that can be found anywhere on the subject. The study also provides extensive quantification of the many important facets of market developments in rechargeable Li-ion batteries all over the world. This, in turn, contributes to the determination of strategic responses which companies may adopt in order to compete in this dynamic market.

This report focuses on three market segments for Li-ion batteries:

·                     the stationary/industrial market;

·                     the automotive market; and

·                     the consumer electronics market.

SCOPE AND FORMAT

Modern Li-ion batteries hold more than twice as much energy by weight as the first commercial versions sold by Sony in 1991 – and are ten times cheaper.

For the stationary segment, users and manufacturers are looking for new waves of opportunity in rechargeable Li-ion battery chemistries for higher energy density in a given space for more run time.

The reason for exploring this stationary/industrial market segment is to project the growth of the market for stationary mega-scale lithium battery energy storage. Power trading through a frequency regulation market is emerging as a mechanism for preventing instability in the power grid that might result from the feed-in of increasingly and widely used renewable energy sources, such as wind power and photovoltaic generation.

For automotives, the next five years will clearly be a transition period from the petro-car to the electric car. This transition will feature an interesting horse race between different lithium battery manufacturers offering cost effective power solutions, ease of recharging, guaranteed long life and safety of device or equipment where the battery is used.

The reason for looking at the automotive market segment is to project demand for rechargeable Li-ion batteries for efficient and eco-friendly vehicles. This is linked to the depletion of fossil fuel and oil supply combined with global warming, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, which have resulted in a growing demand for efficient and eco-friendly vehicles. Responding to this need, governments of many nations provide various incentives for utilizing electric vehicles, such as reduced electric taxi fares, tax benefits, and subsidies for electric vehicle purchasers. Many parts of Europe have banned the use of vehicles operated by conventional combustion engines within the public transportation sector and are focusing on switching to electrical or hybrid vehicles. Several commercial projects are underway as well.

In the consumer electronics segment, Li-ion battery users and manufacturers are looking for new opportunities in rechargeable ion battery chemistries for higher energy density in a given space, for increased run time.  In this segment, rapid growth in the use of Li-ion rechargeable batteries in electronic portable equipment, such as cellular phones, laptops and digital cameras is projected.

METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES

The research methodology was qualitative in nature and employed a triangulative approach, which aids validity. Initially, a comprehensive and exhaustive search of the literature on small-, medium- and large-format rechargeable Li-ion batteries was conducted. These secondary sources included journals and related books, trade literature, marketing literature, other product/promotional literature, annual reports, analysts’ reports and other publications.

In a second phase, a series of semi-structured, fact-finding email correspondence was conducted with marketing executives, product sales engineers, international sales managers, application engineers, and other personnel of small- to large-format rechargeable Li-ion battery companies.

Finally, the market and company data obtained were fine-tuned on the basis of formal and informal telephone interviews/email correspondence with suppliers, design engineers, consulting companies, other technical experts, government officials and trade association officials, as well as the personnel of the vehicle battery user companies.

INFORMATION SOURCES

Initially, a comprehensive and exhaustive search of the literature was conducted on small- to large-format Li-ion rechargeable batteries used in the targeted market segments (stationary/industrial, automotive and consumer electronics). These sources included the latest press releases on company websites with news on the company, applications, marketing and products, as well as brochures, product literature and technical journals.

Other sources included reports published on websites of institutes such as the Laboratoire de Reactivite et Chimie des Solides, University de Picardie Jules Verne (LRCS), University of Texas and Michigan State University. Proceedings at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC) Europe 2016 also were used as sources, along with reports published by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the U.S. Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), and articles published on the subject in the Journal of Power Sources, Technology Review, Spectrum and Nature. Materials and information also were drawn from leading associations such as the European Association of Advanced Rechargeable Batteries, the Korean Battery Industry Association, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), and the International Energy Agency (IEA). Stationary applications in grid-scale lithium battery energy storage systems for bulk energy storage, as well as the grid stabilization market, also were researched. This included government policy documents related to promoting solar energy storage and other renewable power storage systems already working successfully around the world. Also studied were websites and literature of more than fifty custom battery makers supplying medium-sized lithium battery energy storage modules for powering telecom towers, power tools, data centers and remote location battery applications internationally.

Annual reports of leading companies like LG Chem, Panasonic Corp., Saft Groupe S.A., SAMSUNG, Sony Corporation and Tesla, Inc., wee rich sources of information on production and the market status of Li-ion rechargeable batteries.  Subsequent analysis of the documents and interview notes was iterative

For this report, there were wide variations in the market data in the available literature that analyzes the battery market as a whole.  Even with the data that do exist, the challenge was to identify the small- to large-format rechargeable batteries used in the three targeted market segments and evaluate how these fit into the overall market for batteries. An extensive patent analysis was conducted to gauge technological innovation and to determine research activity as applied to this particular battery space.

The second phase of the study involved formal and informal telephone interviews/email correspondence with personnel in all areas of the three targeted battery markets.  Suppliers, design engineers, consulting companies, other technical experts, government officials and trade association officials were also interviewed.

All results were cross-correlated and tested for reasonableness. In addition, the thorough and appropriate use of statistical analysis techniques insured that the conclusions drawn from this report accurately represent the surveyed markets. The author of this report believes that this thorough and detailed data gathering, together with the use of sophisticated statistical analysis, has yielded a high degree of accuracy.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY

Current battery technologies are limited, making plug-in hybrid or all-electric cars prohibitively costly and insufficient to meet consumer demands. Long-term, fundamental research in electrical energy storage will be needed to accelerate the pace of scientific discoveries and to see transformational advances that bridge the gaps in cost and performance, separating the current technologies and those required for future utility and transportation needs.

Medium-sized energy storage modules using Li-ion batteries for powering telecom towers, power tools, data centers and remote location battery applications have been highlighted, with construction details.  Industry dynamics, alliances and sales agreements between cell manufacturers and electric carmakers/OEMs impacting the market place are a special focus. Current markets and market potential across North America, Europe, Japan, China, Korea and the rest of the world have been quantified.

TO WHOM THE STUDY CATERS

This report will be of interest to:

• firms in the rechargeable Li-ion battery power space who want to understand the next wave of opportunities and how the new technology will impact them in the future; and

• advanced materials, components and sub-contract manufacturing companies who need to analyze the potential for selling their products and services into the rechargeable Li-ion battery market.

The report will be of great value to manufacturers and users of small-format Li-ion batteries for use in consumer electronics and the stationary/industrial sectors, and large-format rechargeable lithium batteries for use in vehicles.

The study would benefit existing OEMs of small-format lithium batteries, especially for information on recent technology developments and existing barriers. Therefore, audiences for this study include marketing executives, business unit managers and other decision makers in the small-format lithium batteries market domain.

The study also would benefit existing OEMs of large format rechargeable lithium batteries and new entrants intending to enter into partnership with OEMs of PHEVs and xEVs, with recent technology developments and existing barriers to competition. Longer run times and slower drain rates, higher capacity at lower prices, and increasingly enhanced power capabilities are key developments.

The study would benefit battery energy storage system consultants, battery makers, battery management system (BMS) suppliers and energy management software (EMS) developers, with insights into the current status and market potential of grid-scale lithium battery energy storage systems for bulk energy storage as well as participants in the grid stabilization market. The study also yields insights into the current market size and growth pattern of medium-sized lithium battery energy storage modules for powering telecom towers, power tools, data centers and remote location battery applications.

This report also would benefit battery parts manufacturers and assembly experts in partnership with battery manufacturers.

This report is directed to companies that are interested in developments in this field, such as

·         establishments involved in incinerator development and manufacturing;

·         renewable energy technology suppliers and consultants, energy systems engineers, developers of energy infrastructure projects;

·         producers and suppliers of boiler plant equipment;

·         manufacturers and suppliers of systems and subsystems which incorporate waste recycling;

·         builders and integrators of wastewater treatment technologies;

·         investment institutions involved in the financing of energy resource and environmental solution projects;

·         renewable technology research companies and institutions; and

·         major energy utility companies interested in diversification.

REPORT SUMMARY

Demand for lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable batteries has been driven by the rapid growth in the use of electronic portable equipment. It is estimated that in 2017, 66% of the batteries used in consumer products such as mobile phones, digital cameras, laptops, tablet PCs, and power tools were lithium rechargeable batteries.  Lithium is fast replacing nickel-metal hydride (Ni-Mh) and nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries for powering consumer electronics.

Growing demand for efficient and eco-friendly vehicles is linked to the depletion of fossil fuel and oil supplies combined with global warming, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, governments of many nations provide various incentives for utilizing electric vehicles. These include reduced electric taxi fares, tax benefits, and subsidies for electric vehicle purchasers. Many parts of Europe have banned the use of vehicles operated by conventional combustion engines within the public transportation sectors and are focusing on switching to electrical or hybrid vehicles. Several commercial projects are underway as well.

A key driver of growth for the market in stationary mega-scale lithium battery energy storage is the emergence of power trading through a frequency regulation market as a mechanism for preventing instability in the power grid.  Such instability results from the feed-in of renewable energy sources, such as wind power and photovoltaic generation, which are used with increasing frequency.

The overall market for rechargeable Li-ion batteries is estimated to have reached $24 billion in 2017 and is estimated to reach $70 billion by 2022 with a combined annual growth rate of 24%.

MARKET ESTIMATE FOR RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM BATTERIES, 2017-2022

($ MILLIONS)

The largest market is for Consumer Electronics in 2016 and 2017, which is a matured market segment and its grow rate is the lowest. The automotive segment is the fastest growing segment which will take over the Electronics Consumer market by 2020. The stationary and industrial segment will have a high growth of 22.2 % from 2016 to 2022.

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