Top Lithium Battery Manufacturers in World, 2023 (2023)

FAQs

Who produces the most lithium-ion batteries in the world? ›

Lithium is currently produced from hard rock or brine mines. Australia is the world's biggest supplier, with production from hard rock mines.

Sodium-ion batteries are a relatively new Battery Technologies in 2023 that uses sodium ions instead of lithium ions to store and convert energy. They offer a low cost, high safety, and a long cycle life. However, they have a low energy density and are still in the development phase.

Largest Lithium reserves, 2023 (million tonnes): Chile: 9.2 Australia: 5.7 Argentina: 2.2 China: 1.5 USA: 0.7 Yesterday India announced the discovery in Jammu of 5.9 million tonnes of Lithium, an essential component of EV batteries.

The China-based CATL was the leading lithium-ion battery maker in the first quarter of 2022 with a market share of 35 percent. The Korean LG Energy Solution ranked second with a market share of 15.9 percent, followed by BYD with a market share of 11.1 percent.

Researchers at Vienna University of Technology have developed an oxygen-ion battery based on ceramic materials that has a longer lifespan than lithium-ion batteries. The new battery can be regenerated and does not require rare elements, making it an ideal solution for large energy storage systems.

In late 2021, QuantumScape illustrated that its forever battery performed in 4-layer formats up to 800 charging cycles. A quarter later, the company scaled successful results to 10-layer batteries up to 800 cycles.

Lithium reserves by country

Chile has the largest lithium reserves worldwide by a large margin. Australia comes in second, with reserves estimated at 6.2 million metric tons in 2022.

The Thacker Pass Lithium Mine is a lithium clay mining development project in Humboldt County, Nevada, which is the largest known lithium deposit in the US and one of the largest in the world. There has been significant exploration of Thacker Pass since 2007.

Where are the richest lithium deposits in the world? ›

Where is lithium available from? With 8 million tons, Chile has the world's largest known lithium reserves. This puts the South American country ahead of Australia (2.7 million tons), Argentina (2 million tons) and China (1 million tons). Within Europe, Portugal has smaller quantities of the valuable raw material.

Albemarle Corp.

Albemarle is the biggest company on the list and the world's largest lithium producer. Albemarle operates the only active lithium mine in the U.S., located in Silver Peak, Nevada.

Tesla is currently working with Japanese company Panasonic, its longtime partner, as well as South Korea's LG Energy Solutions, the second largest battery supplier in the world. They supply the EV maker with cells containing nickel and cobalt.

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%.

However, the US is home to what are believed to be the world's largest lithium deposits after those in the so-called Lithium Triangle region in South America. The states of Nevada, North Carolina, and California together host an estimated 4% of the world's lithium reserves.

Most lithium comes from Australia, Chile and China, which also dominates in processing lithium and making batteries. Brine from underground aquifers is pumped to the surface and into evaporation ponds. This browser does not support the video element. The brine moves from pond to pond over 18 to 24 months.

Albemarle Corporation, which supplies lithium to Tesla and other automakers and operates the only active lithium mine in the US at the Silver Peak mine in Nevada, owns the ~1,100-acre site that includes the former mine in Kings Mountain, along with a lithium hydroxide plant and R&D facility.

Argonne chemists say the lithium-air battery has the highest projected energy density of any battery technology and can boost energy density four times faster than lithium-ion batteries. Hence, a longer driving range for electric car owners.

What battery is better than lithium? ›

1. Aqueous Magnesium Batteries. If it were not for a few key issues, magnesium metal would be an ideal candidate to replace lithium 一 it is the eighth most common element, non-toxic, has a negative electrochemical potential, and has a high capacity thanks to its additional valence electron.

Solid-state batteries are believed to last longer — with up to seven times more recharges during their lifetime, according to CAR Magazine. They're also believed to be safer, because the solid electrolyte material is fireproof, unlike lithium-ion batteries, which are known to pose a fire risk.

Form Energy Inc., an energy-storage company backed by Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy Ventures, is planning a $760 million factory in West Virginia, the latest plant announced in the aftermath of President Joe Biden's landmark climate law.

Toyota Motor is considered the leader in solid-state battery patents. Currently, EVs with solid-state batteries are not commercially available but are expected to be used in EVs from 2025.

Two years ago, Tesla patented Dahn's million-mile battery and CEO Elon Musk said he would deploy the long-life battery in 2020.

In battery technology parlance, solid-state batteries (SSBs) are sometimes called “forever batteries.” That's because these batteries promise to far outlast traditionally technologies that rely on the electrochemical discharge of ionic solutions.

Department of Energy

“The lithium-air battery has the highest projected energy density of any battery technology being considered for the next generation of batteries beyond lithium-ion.”

Several automakers and start-ups are racing to develop solid-state battery technology, the often-heralded next generation of EV battery technology. Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolytes and polymer gel separators used in current lithium-ion batteries with a solid separator.

Lithium is not mined in Russia, so self-sufficiency in this metal is a problem, dealing with which is high on the agenda. High demand for lithium is a global trend driven by the rapid development of electric vehicles, primarily in China.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine, home to approximately 500,000 tons of high-quality lithium and vast quantities of rare earth elements, was poised to be a key player in the global transition to green technology.

How much lithium is in the United States? ›

Because lithium deposits come embedded in other metals and minerals, extracting lithium can be incredibly difficult. More refineries—the plants where raw lithium is processed into a concentrated form of the metal that goes into batteries—need to be built in North America.

In northern Nevada, a place called Peehee Mu'huh – or Thacker Pass – is sacred indigenous land and also potentially the largest deposit of lithium in the US.

Nevada is currently home to the only lithium mine in the United States — the Silver Peak mine — which is operated by North Carolina-based chemicals company Albemarle Corp.

Iran says it's discovered what could be the world's second-largest lithium deposit. “For the first time in Iran, a lithium reserve has been discovered in Hamedan” in the country's west, an official at Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade said.

Lithium mining does have an environmental impact, but it is no worse than oil drilling. This is especially true when you consider the carbon emissions produced from petroleum products during their usage, as compared to lithium-ion batteries that have little to no GHG emissions during their use.

In 2022, the average price of battery-grade lithium carbonate was estimated at 37,000 U.S. dollars per metric ton.

Where is Tesla's lithium refinery? Even though Tesla does not mine lithium at the moment, it has recently broke ground on its Texas lithium refinery. CEO Elon Musk says the facility could produce enough lithium for about 1 million EVs by 2025.

China's position in downstream supply chains for the battery metal is even more dominant. The country only mines 13% of the world's lithium but controls 44% of global lithium chemical production, 78% of cathode production and 70% of cell manufacturing for the electric car industry, news agencies reported.