Batteries - Thematic Intelligence

Batteries - Thematic Intelligence

Summary

Over the past decade, the battery industry has progressed sufficiently to enable portable consumer electronics, the mobile internet, the first electric cars, and the initial adoption of intermittent renewable power storage and generation. Given stored energy's accelerating and expanding role in tackling climate change, it will become one of the world’s most significant industries over the next 10 years.

Key Highlights

As governments worldwide get serious about decarbonizing their economies, demand for cheap, safe, high-performance, long-lasting, and low-carbon-footprint batteries will soar, most notably from the automotive industry. Consequently, supply chain bottlenecks will materialize over the next decade. The lack of low-cost, easy-to-purify raw materials to feed the world’s existing and planned battery gigafactories is the biggest threat to supply security. Moreover, the decline in investment in crucial mineral mines-coupled with the growing importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors-will restrict the development of new capacity.

There will likely be a severe but temporary global battery shortage by 2025 due to a sharp increase in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and a shortage of mined and refined battery metals. However, the industry is investing heavily to prevent this from becoming a sustained threat by reducing its use of scarce materials, developing new materials and battery technologies, and, most importantly, creating a global battery recycling industry.

Meanwhile, China’s control of the entire global supply chain, from mines and refiners to component markers and cell producers, is a mounting geopolitical issue. The US and Europe are taking significant steps to reduce the dependence on China within their battery supply chains by 2030. Battery recycling is as much about geopolitics as it is about environmental sustainability. The circular battery economy will be critical to the energy transition, and nations (and companies) must develop domestic recycling.

Scope

• This report provides an overview of the batteries theme.
• It identifies the key trends impacting growth of the theme over the next 12 to 24 months, split into three categories: technology trends, macroeconomic trends, and regulatory trends.
• It includes analysis of multiple data sets, including patents and M&A trends, alongside a timeline highlighting milestones in the development of the batteries.
• The detailed value chain discusses the core segments, including raw materials, smelting and refining, component makers, battery technologies, end markets, and end of life.

Reasons to Buy

• Batteries are sources of power, but they are also critical facilitators of many other technologies. They are integral to modern mobile lifestyles and the mass production of electric vehicles (EVs). Battery and energy storage technologies will be foundational in transitioning to renewable energy. This report provides an invaluable overview of the batteries theme, its challenges, and its potential impacts.