A new report from China reveals that local companies are firmly in the driving seat in the global electric car battery race. In the first ten months of 2025, the total amount of energy stored in electric vehicle (EV) batteries worldwide saw a significant jump, reaching 933.5 GWh.
CATL and BYD Take the Lead
A closer look at the numbers makes it clear where this power is coming from. Six of the world’s top ten battery suppliers are Chinese-based companies. These six companies control a massive 68.9% of the global market, with a combined capacity of 644.4 GWh. This represents an increase of approximately 3 percentage points compared to the previous year.
The undisputed heavyweight champions of the summit are Chinese giants CATL and BYD. These two companies alone account for more than half of the global installed battery capacity.
- CATL: Maintains its undisputed leadership, holding the number one spot with 355.2 GWh of installed capacity. Its market share has climbed to 38.1%, more than double that of its nearest competitor.
- BYD: With a capacity of 157.9 GWh, it sits comfortably in second place and commands a 16.9% market share. What makes BYD unique is that it produces both its own batteries and its own electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The company sold more than 130,000 passenger cars and pickup trucks abroad in November alone, a nearly fourfold increase compared to the previous year.
Other emerging Chinese companies include CALB (44.3 GWh, 4.7% market share), Gotion High-tech (38.7 GWh, 4.1%), EVE Energy (24.6 GWh, 2.6%), and SVOLT (23.7 GWh, 2.5%). The remaining top positions are held by South Korean and Japanese suppliers, although their overall market share has declined slightly:
- LG Energy Solution (South Korea): In third place with 86.5 GWh of installed capacity, it is a key supplier to major automakers such as the Kia EV 3 and Chevrolet’s Ultium platform EVs. However, slowing sales of some Tesla models has slowed its growth.
- SK On (South Korea): With 37.7 GWh, it powers the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the Kia EV 6, and various Ford and Volkswagen electric vehicles.
- Panasonic (Japan): A major supplier to Tesla, Panasonic is seeking to expand its footprint with agreements with other North American automakers, with 35.9 GWh.
- Samsung SDI (South Korea): With 25.1 GWh of capacity, it supplies batteries for major electric models such as BMW’s i4, i5, i7, and iX, as well as the Audi Q6 e-Tron.
As the market grows, BYD is seeing particularly strong success in Europe, where battery usage there increased by more than 216% in the first ten months of the year thanks to its affordable and competitive vehicles.
The industry is shifting its focus from simple global expansion to strategic local operations. Companies are entering into long-term agreements for material supply and planning to build battery production facilities closer to where electric cars are assembled in North America and Europe. This shift means battery companies must quickly adapt to different regional regulations and demands to maintain their market advantage.
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