SMM, April 2:
Second-Life Application Recycling Market This Week:
This week, the overall second-life battery market for lithium battery B-grade products remained stable, while prices for warehouse A and A-grade products rose. On the cost side, lithium carbonate rose first and then fell, with pronounced fluctuations; nickel sulphate edged down slightly, while cobalt sulphate prices remained stable. On the supply side, battery cell capacity continued to release, the EV sector engaged in orderly stockpiling, demand in the ESS sector was robust, and order shipments remained at a high level. On the demand side, following the implementation of the new regulations for power batteries on April 1, the exclusive concept for second-life application was removed and uniformly brought under comprehensive utilization supervision, with non-compliant circulation strictly controlled; the market showed structural divergence, with average demand from the EV sector, while demand for compliant orders in energy storage and outside China remained strong. In terms of product-condition price spreads: quotations for top-tier A-grade products with warranties approached those of new battery cells, while circulation of recycled materials and B-grade products was weak and prices held steady due to difficulty in meeting compliant procurement standards.
Overall, the market operated with broadly stable prices in the short term: raw material fluctuations were unlikely to drive major adjustments in finished product prices, and supply-demand divergence persisted; prices for high-quality A-grade products remained firm, while B-grade products and low-end recycled materials were priced based on rigid demand, with limited change. The market mainly focused on compliance screening, replenishment on demand, and transactions at stable prices.
SMM New Energy Research Team
Wang Cong 021-51666838
Ma Rui 021-51595780
Feng Disheng 021-51666714
Lv Yanlin 021-20707875
Lei Yue 021-20707873
