Lithium Battery Exports Up 36.4% in First Three Quarters as Chinese Battery Makers Continue Expanding Overseas Market Share
nashnova research
China's lithium battery exports rose 36.4% year-on-year in the first three quarters; shipments to non-US markets surged roughly 53%, more than offsetting a 24% drop in US-bound exports. CATL's overseas EV-battery installation share climbed to 33.7%, while Korea's big three fell from 37.9% to 26.8% — the China-Korea balance has flipped.
The export picture: US shipments fell — so why did the total still grow?
Lithium battery exports rose 36.4% year-on-year in the first three quarters, per China Customs data released October 14.
Exports to the US fell 24% in the first eight months — but shipments to every other market grew roughly 53%. This means → Europe, Asia and Latin America added more than enough to replace the US shortfall.
In plain terms = one door is closing, but several others are opening wider.
China vs Korea: how much did CATL gain, and how much did Korea lose?
CATL's installation share in EV batteries outside China rose from 29% to 33.7%, with Europe holding steady and Asia growing fast, per SNE Research.
LG Energy Solution, SK On and Samsung SDI — dragged down by weaker North American demand — saw their combined overseas share drop from 37.9% to 26.8%, a contraction of more than 11 percentage points.
This means → Korean makers relied on North American anchor clients to hold their overseas base. Once that market slowed, Chinese competitors absorbed the gap.
BYD and the mid-tier: who is catching up fastest?
BYD's global EV-battery share dipped from 17.1% to 15.1%, yet its overseas share rose from 8.2% to 11% — vehicle sales in Europe, Asia and South America are pulling battery installations along.
Gotion High-tech (国轩高科) doubled its overseas share to 4%, surpassing Samsung SDI in overseas installations. EVE Energy (亿纬锂能) climbed from 0.9% to 2.1%; CALB (中创新航) and EVE both entered the global top ten.
In plain terms = China's battery push overseas is no longer a two-name story. Second- and third-tier makers are now shipping meaningful volume abroad.
Energy storage: a second growth track beyond EV batteries?
Top five overseas storage-cell shippers in the first half: CATL, EVE Energy, BYD, Hithium (海辰储能) and Pylon (鹏辉能源).
In small-scale storage, EVE, Pylon and Rept Battero together hold over 60% of the market. Hithium ranks second globally in large-scale storage cell shipments.
Repeat orders are turning into continuous business: BYD's client Grenergy placed a follow-on order for a Chile project in March; CATL's client ContourGlobal covered the UK, Greece and Chile in a single procurement, with the deal including degradation management and end-of-life recycling.
This reflects a shift from one-off deals to long-term service relationships.
Factory buildouts and service commitments: what does overseas expansion cost?
Progress varies: Sunwoda's Thailand Phase 1 is already producing; CATL's Hungary cell plant has started trial production. EVE's US Amplify joint venture is still constructing buildings, and capacity installation has been delayed as demand expectations for electric commercial vehicles shift — no firm production date yet.
Overseas clients are demanding deeper commitments: Hithium's Australian project with Naturgy subsidiary GPG includes local delivery, commissioning and technical support; Sungrow's European supply agreements promise 98% system availability and long-term maintenance.
Put simply = bigger share means deeper ties. As overseas operations scale up, battery makers are no longer just selling cells — they must factor their customers' expansion plans into their own capital decisions.
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