SHENZHEN, June 23, 2026 — The global battery industry is undergoing profound structural transformation in mid-2026, ending the previous round of overcapacity pressure and stepping into a new development stage driven by diversified demand and technological innovation. According to the latest industrial data released by EVTank and BloombergNEF, the global overall battery demand will exceed 2,600 GWh throughout 2026, achieving a year-on-year growth of 28%. Notably, energy storage battery demand has outpaced power batteries for the first time, becoming the strongest growth engine of the whole sector. Meanwhile, semi-solid batteries, sodium-ion batteries and dry electrode manufacturing technologies have achieved large-scale industrial breakthroughs, reshaping the long-term competitive pattern of the global battery supply chain.
Energy Storage Battery Outperforms Power Batteries to Lead Market Growth
Driven by global renewable energy penetration and grid transformation construction, energy storage batteries have witnessed explosive demand growth since the start of 2026. Statistical data shows that global energy storage battery demand will reach 795 GWh this year, with a year-on-year growth rate hitting 47%, far exceeding the 22% growth rate of power batteries for electric vehicles. Europe, North America and Southeast Asia are the three core high-growth markets, as local governments continue to roll out supportive policies for wind and solar energy matching energy storage projects.
Against the backdrop of robust downstream demand, battery cell manufacturers have significantly lifted capacity utilization rates, and the long-standing industry price war has gradually eased. The average quotation of mainstream lithium iron phosphate storage batteries has rebounded by 8% month-on-month in June 2026, reversing the continuous price decline since late 2025. Industry analysts point out that global energy construction plans for 2026 and 2027 remain sufficient, and energy storage batteries will maintain double-digit high growth in the next two years, stabilizing the overall profit level of the battery manufacturing industry.
Multiple New Battery Technologies Enter Mass Production Stage
2026 has become a critical year for the industrialization of next-generation battery technologies, forming a parallel competition pattern of lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries and semi-solid batteries. Semi-solid batteries have officially achieved large-scale vehicle loading this year, featuring higher energy density, better safety performance and longer cycle life compared with traditional liquid lithium batteries. Multiple mainstream new energy vehicle brands have launched models equipped with semi-solid batteries, supporting a cruising range exceeding 1,000 kilometers on a single charge.
Sodium-ion batteries have achieved large-scale commercial breakthroughs in low-speed electric vehicles and household energy storage scenarios. Thanks to raw material cost advantages and excellent low-temperature resistance, sodium batteries are gradually replacing partial lithium battery orders in cost-sensitive markets. Besides, dry electrode manufacturing technology has been widely promoted in new production lines, cutting battery production energy consumption by nearly 30% and reducing factory construction area by 30%, greatly lowering the carbon footprint of battery manufacturing processes.
Global Battery Supply Chain Restructures Amid Regional Policy Adjustments
Global battery supply chain layout continues to be restructured in 2026 affected by regional industrial policies. North America and Europe keep promoting localized battery production chains to improve regional energy independence, while imposing stricter localization proportion requirements for battery suppliers. Meanwhile, export restrictions targeting high-energy-density batteries have pushed overseas manufacturers to accelerate independent research and development of high-performance battery cells.
Leading battery enterprises are adopting a dual-layout strategy: retaining core material research and development and high-end cell production bases in Asia, while building supporting assembly and packaging factories in Europe and North America to adapt to local policy thresholds. In addition, more manufacturers are deploying recycled battery material production lines; battery material recycling capacity worldwide has increased by 35% year-on-year, effectively easing the supply pressure of lithium, cobalt and nickel upstream raw materials.
Emerging Demand Points Open New Industry Growth Space
Beyond electric vehicles and grid energy storage, emerging segmented scenarios have opened up new incremental markets for the battery industry in 2026. Drones, intelligent robots, portable outdoor power supplies and AI data center backup power supplies have become fast-growing emerging demand tracks. In particular, the booming construction of global AI computing centers has driven steady growth in high-rate backup battery orders, putting forward higher requirements for battery stability and long-cycle performance.
Consumer batteries for wearable devices and smart electronics maintain steady growth as well. Manufacturers are focusing on thinning, miniaturization and high safety optimization of small-sized batteries to match the iterative upgrading of portable intelligent hardware products.
Industry Outlook for the Second Half of 2026
Industry insiders predict that the global battery industry will maintain strong upward momentum in the second half of 2026. With the arrival of the traditional peak sales season for new energy vehicles and centralized grid energy storage project installation, overall battery market demand will further rise. Technological competition will shift from simple energy density comparison to systematic competition covering safety, cost, carbon footprint and whole-life cycle performance. Enterprises with complete layout of new battery technologies, recycling systems and overseas localized production capacity will occupy dominant positions in the increasingly competitive global battery market.