The top five battery producers: past, present and future

Between 2020 and 2025 gigafactory capacity grew six-fold, and it is set to grow another 118% by 2030 as assessed by Benchmark’s Battery & Gigafactory Service.

To celebrate International Battery Day, Benchmark explores how the top five battery producers have shifted since 2020, and which companies are set to hold the top positions in 2030.

Past – 2020

In 2020, battery cell production capacity was around 734GWh. Although China accounted for 65% of this supply, it was South Korean cell maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) that occupied the number one spot for cell production.

Indeed, CATL and BYD were the only two Chinese companies in the top five in 2020, with Japan’s Panasonic and South Korea’s Samsung SDI rounding out the list.

In all, the top five producers accounted for 50% of global cell production capacity.

Present – 2025

By 2025, cell production had reached 2.2TWh and gigafactory capacity hit 4.8TWh. China cemented its dominance with 86% of production located in the country.

LGES, the only non-Chinese firm in the top five, fell from the top spot to third position, overtaken by battery behemoths CATL and BYD.

The concentration of global capacity operated by the top five producers had fallen to 44% by 2025. Notably, CATL alone accounted for over a quarter of production and 17% of global gigafactory capacity.

Future – 2030

The 2030 gigafactory pipeline is currently over 10TWh, with 77% of this owned by Chinese companies.

CATL’s position in the number one spot is strong. Its 2030 pipeline capacity is greater than the combined pipeline of LGES and BYD, which occupy the number two and three spots, respectively. LGES is set to remain the only non-Chinese company in the top five.

The top five producers account for a third of the global gigafactory pipeline capacity for 2030.

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