Second-life Application Market Prices Edge Up, LFP Leads the Gains [SMM Weekly Review]

Published: Jul 9, 2026 17:23

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This week, prices in China's second-life battery market edged up, with the LFP category leading the gains. Within LFP, commonly used energy storage specifications saw notable increases, while the small-capacity ternary category edged up in tandem and large-capacity products saw limited movement. The core drivers came from the transmission of previously high costs and the rise in new battery cell prices, collectively boosting second-life product prices, alongside sustained energy storage demand release supporting the LFP category. On the cost side, lithium carbonate pulled back this week while nickel and cobalt continued to grind lower, though this has not yet transmitted to the second-life battery market. On the demand side, energy storage was the key boost, small power applications remained sluggish, and backup power scenarios were generally stable. In the short term, the second-life battery market is expected to be stable with modest gains and limited upside, with LFP outperforming ternary. If lithium carbonate continues to pull back, it may exert some downward pressure on LFP prices.

SMM July 9 News:

Second-life Battery Market This Week:

This week, China’s second-life battery market prices edged up, with LFP types leading the gains. Among them, commonly used specifications for energy storage saw significant increases. Ternary small-capacity cells followed suit with modest gains, while large-capacity ones saw limited changes. The main drivers were the pass-through of high early-stage costs and rising new battery cell prices, which together lifted second-life products. Sustained energy storage demand also continued to support the LFP category. On the cost side, lithium carbonate pulled back this week, and nickel and cobalt kept grinding lower, but this has yet to feed through to the second-life market. On the demand side, energy storage was the core driver, while small-power demand remained sluggish and backup-power scenarios were generally stable.

In the short term, the second-life battery market is expected to hold steady with modest upward momentum and limited gains, with LFP outperforming ternary. If lithium carbonate continues to pull back, it could put some downward pressure on LFP 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

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