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Demand for lithium batteries from e-bikes to increase more than 70% in 2021

iconNov 25, 2020 14:51
Source:SMM
China’s annual electric bicycle sales have exceeded 30 million units in the past few years, with social e-bike ownership rising close to 300 million units, and output of bikes over 1,000 yuan continues to increase, according to China Bicycle Association.

SHANGHAI, Nov 25 (SMM)—China’s annual electric bicycle sales have exceeded 30 million units in the past few years, with social e-bike ownership rising close to 300 million units, and output of bikes over 1,000 yuan continues to increase, according to China Bicycle Association. In 2019, output of high-end products such as lithium-ion battery e-bikes stood at nearly 5 million units, accounting for 13.8% of total e-bike output.

E-bike output has increased gradually since April 2020. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed that e-bike output totalled 22.85 million units in the first nine months of 2020, jumping 30.3% from the same period last year.

The Safety Specification for Electric Bicycles took effect on April 15, 2019, which was called a new national standard for e-bikes. As the standard requires the frame weight of electric bicycle should be controlled below 39kg, the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with lighter weight and higher energy density has become a mainstream choice of e-bike producers. Domestic large-scale e-bike makers such as Yadi, Aima and Lvyuan have successively launched new products that meet the new standard, while new brands such as Niu and Segway-Ninebot have started to use lithium-ion batteries since their birth.  

Demand for e-bikes has increased year on year in 2020, and total output is expected to reach more than 36 million units. The proportion of lithium batteries used in e-bikes is estimated to increase to 25% by the end of 2020 amid the new national e-bike standard and higher performance-price ratio of lithium cells. Demand for lithium batteries is likely to increase by 60-70% from a year earlier to 15GWh in 2020 considering the fact that currently more than 90% bike sharing are using lithium batteries and the delivery and express sectors have increased proportion of e-bikes that use lithium batteries.

Many battery makers and lithium battery e-bike manufacturers have cooperated with bike-sharing companies this year. While new energy vehicles suffered a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of this year, sales of electric two-wheeled vehicles increased, prompting some battery makers to resume production of lithium batteries. Demand for lithium batteries from electric two-wheeled vehicles is expected to rise by more than 70% in 2021. 

Electric bikes
Lithium battery
Bike sharing

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