Rising prices of raw materials Lithium electrification of electric light vehicles meets challenges?

Published: Apr 18, 2022 15:21
[raw material prices rise, lithium electrification of electric light vehicles meets challenges? The transition period of the "new national standard" in many places will end in 2022-2023, and according to institutional analysis, the demand for larger replacement may begin to be released intensively from 2022, which will promote the rapid growth of demand for lithium batteries for electric bicycles. As the largest owner of electric bicycles in the world, the number of electric bicycles in China has exceeded 350 million, and the annual sales in recent years has been maintained at about 30 million.

The transition period of the "new national standard" in many places will end in 2022-2023, and according to agency analysis, the demand for larger replacement may begin to be released intensively from 2022, which will promote the rapid growth of demand for lithium batteries for electric bicycles.

As the largest owner of electric bicycles in the world, the number of electric bicycles in China has exceeded 350 million, and the annual sales in recent years has been maintained at about 30 million. However, as the transition period of the "new national standard" is coming to an end, Citic Securities analysts believe that with the increase in demand for the replacement of non-national standard cars in the next three years, there may be a "small and best part" in electric bicycle sales.

However, the market of electric light vehicles (bicycles, motorcycles and tricycles) is very sensitive to the prices of accessories and raw materials, and the cost of "lithium and lead electricity" has always been the focus of electric light vehicle companies and end-users. For car companies, they have been hoping to reduce the cost of lithium electricity, which in turn promotes the lithium battery to occupy a larger share of the electric light vehicle market.

It is worth noting that since the beginning of this year, the price of lithium raw materials has risen rapidly, and has been passed on to the mainframe factory, which has affected part of the demand of consumer terminals, and the shipment of lithium batteries from electric light vehicles has been obviously affected by periodic price increases. According to the analysis of industry insiders, the high price of raw materials is bound to have a greater impact on this year's lithium electricity shipments and market share of electric light vehicles.

Based on the advantages of lightweight, clean and environmental protection, long cycle life and long life of lithium battery, lithium electrification has become the main route of electric two-wheeled vehicles in developed countries. From an international point of view, lithium-ion battery electric bicycles have been widely used in Japan, Europe, America and other developed countries.

In addition, from the perspective of technological development trend and consumption upgrading, the intelligence of electric bicycles will be an inevitable trend, and lithium battery will be an important basis for realizing the intelligence of electric light vehicles because of its high energy density.

According to industry data, the demand for lithium battery in the electric bicycle, electric motorcycle and power exchange market is increasing year by year. It is expected that the total demand for lithium battery for electric light vehicles in China will exceed 60 GWh in 2025, when the permeability of lithium battery will exceed 45%.

Whether it is the "new national standard" or intelligent, there is an urgent demand for lithium electrification of batteries for electric bicycles. However, in the context of rising costs, the popularization and promotion of lithium electricity in the electric light vehicle market is undoubtedly a challenge that must be overcome.

September 13-14, 2021, including Yadi, Emma, Luyuan, No. 9, Xinri, Tailing, Mavericks, Hello and other domestic electric light vehicle head enterprises, Ke Neng New Energy, Yiwei Lithium Energy, Xingheng Power supply, Xinneng an, Chaowei Chuangyuan, Nandu Power supply, Fujian Mengshi and other dozens of battery and upstream materials, intelligence industry chain hundreds of enterprises gathered in Guangzhou. Participate in the "2021 International Summit on Lithium Battery Technology and applications for Light Electric vehicles" to discuss the market and technological development of lithium batteries for electric light vehicles in China, and achieved fruitful results.

The "2022 International Summit on Lithium Battery Technology and applications for Light Electric vehicles" will be held in Guangzhou from June 22 to 23, 2022. At that time, domestic and foreign mainstream electric light vehicle enterprises, battery enterprises, materials and parts industry chain enterprises will gather in Guangzhou to feel the pulse of the development of the electric light vehicle lithium battery market in China and Southeast Asia. In view of the industrial development difficulties brought about by the rise in the price of lithium battery raw materials this year. As well as the development of lightweight, intelligent and environmentally friendly electric light vehicles, they will communicate together and find ways to widely use and popularize lithium electricity.

It is reported that the 2022 sixth South China Electric vehicle Exhibition and the 2022 South China Intelligent Transportation Expo will also be held at Poly World Trade Expo in Guangzhou from June 23 to 25, 2022, based in South China, radiating the country and the world at home and abroad.

Exhibits include electric light vehicles, batteries, motors, controllers, chargers, tires, Internet of things software and hardware, industrial chain parts products, production equipment, cycling equipment and so on. The exhibition is sponsored by Guangdong Electric vehicle Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Guangdong Council for the Promotion of International Trade, China Mechanical and Electrical Import and Export Chamber of Commerce and other units and organizations that can promote foreign economic and trade development, to provide a high-quality cooperation and negotiation platform for the industry to expand domestic demand and expand overseas.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
[Vehicle Inventory Alert Index for July 2026 Reaches 61.1%]
5 hours ago
[Vehicle Inventory Alert Index for July 2026 Reaches 61.1%]
Read More
[Vehicle Inventory Alert Index for July 2026 Reaches 61.1%]
[Vehicle Inventory Alert Index for July 2026 Reaches 61.1%]
[Vehicle Inventory Alert Index for July 2026 Reaches 61.1%] The latest “Vehicle Inventory Alert Index Survey” released by the China Automobile Dealers Association shows that the Vehicle Inventory Alert Index (VIA) for automobile dealers in July 2026 was 61.1%, up 3.9 percentage points YoY and up 3.9 percentage points MoM. The VIA, issued by the China Automobile Dealers Association, reflects the inventory level, market demand and operational risk of automobile dealers across the country. The index uses the 50% mark as the threshold. The July reading remained above the 50 mark, indicating that inventory pressure on automobile dealers exceeded the industry alert level.
5 hours ago
SMM Daily Review: Spot Lithium Carbonate Fell Steadily on August 3
6 hours ago
SMM Daily Review: Spot Lithium Carbonate Fell Steadily on August 3
Read More
SMM Daily Review: Spot Lithium Carbonate Fell Steadily on August 3
SMM Daily Review: Spot Lithium Carbonate Fell Steadily on August 3
[SMM Daily Comment: Spot Lithium Carbonate Fell Steadily on Aug 3] The SMM spot price of battery-grade lithium carbonate fell steadily today from the previous working day. The lithium carbonate 2609 contract opened low at 137,500 yuan/mt today, then fluctuated lower and dipped quickly, hitting a low of 135,600 yuan/mt; subsequently, bulls stepped in to push prices to a choppy rebound, and the morning session saw fluctuations around the average price line; near midday, bulls concentrated their strength, prices quickly surged past 140,000 yuan/mt and shot up to 140,800 yuan/mt; in the afternoon, faced with bearish selling pressure and profit-taking, prices consolidated and pulled back, and near the close, moved sideways in the 138,800-139,000 yuan range, finally settling down 1.15% at 138,900 yuan/mt, with open interest decreasing by 3,474 lots. In the spot market, coinciding with the first working day of the month, downstream material plants gradually received long-term contract and customer-supplied shipments. Spot order purchases were cautious, only purchasing as needed when prices were relatively low; upstream lithium chemical plants continued to hold prices firm for spot sales, mainly relying on long-term contracts and additional contract volumes to ensure supply at the beginning of the month. Overall, market inquiries and actual transaction activity decreased.
6 hours ago
[Automotive: FAW Jiefang, CATL, And Tgood Jointly Establish Jiefang Times]
9 hours ago
[Automotive: FAW Jiefang, CATL, And Tgood Jointly Establish Jiefang Times]
Read More
[Automotive: FAW Jiefang, CATL, And Tgood Jointly Establish Jiefang Times]
[Automotive: FAW Jiefang, CATL, And Tgood Jointly Establish Jiefang Times]
Recently, the national headquarters project of Jiefang Times New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. was officially established in the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone. As an innovative platform co-created by three industry giants—FAW Jiefang, CATL, and Tgood—for full-lifecycle services of new energy commercial vehicles, Jiefang Times will use Tianjin as its strategic hub to accelerate the deep transformation of the commercial vehicle industry toward green, electric, and intelligent development. Alongside the establishment of the headquarters, Jiefang Times' business expansion is also progressing rapidly. The company aims to achieve total assets exceeding 5 billion yuan and operating revenue reaching 1 billion yuan in 2026, serving as a key pillar for FAW Jiefang's new energy commercial vehicle leasing business.
9 hours ago