China Mar power battery installations flat as production surges 50%

• China's battery sales grew significantly in March as energy storage battery sales doubled.
• Battery exports saw strong growth, with the expansion of energy storage batteries particularly rapid.

China's power battery installations showed a stabilizing trend in March as the industry recovered from the holiday lull at the end of February.

Power battery installations in China stood at 56.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in March, edging down 0.1% year-on-year, but surging 114.9% from February, data from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA) showed Friday.

For the first quarter, power battery installations reached 124.9 GWh, down 4.1% year-on-year, as the beginning of the year is typically a slow season for production and sales.

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries continued to maintain absolute dominance in the market. Their installations in March were 45.8 GWh, accounting for 81.0% of the total.

LFP battery installations fell 1.7% year-on-year, despite a 122.3% jump from February.

In the first quarter, cumulative LFP battery installations stood at 99.0 GWh, down 5.9% year-on-year.

In contrast, installations of ternary lithium batteries were 10.7 GWh in March, making up 19.0% of the total.

Ternary lithium battery installations grew 7.3% year-on-year in March and posted a robust 88.1% increase from February.

In the first quarter, ternary battery installations reached 25.8 GWh, up 3.3% year-on-year.

China's combined production of power and energy storage batteries totaled 177.7 GWh in March, achieving a 50.2% year-on-year increase and growing 25.5% from February.

Cumulative battery production in the first quarter reached 487.4 GWh, up 49.3% year-on-year.

China's battery sales also saw strong growth last month as demand for energy storage batteries soared.

In March, sales of power and energy storage batteries in China stood at 175.1 GWh, up 51.6% year-on-year and 54.7% from February.

Power battery sales in March were 114.7 GWh, accounting for 65.5% of the total. This represents a 31.1% increase year-on-year and a 53.9% rise from February.

Energy storage battery sales were 60.4 GWh, making up 34.5% of the total, surging 115.9% year-on-year and 56.2% month-on-month.

China exported a combined 36.1 GWh of power and energy storage batteries in March, accounting for 20.6% of the month's total sales. This reflects a 57.1% year-on-year increase and a 51.0% month-on-month rise.

Power battery exports in March were 22.3 GWh, up 60.2% year-on-year. Energy storage battery exports stood at 13.8 GWh, achieving a 52.4% year-on-year increase.

This strong overseas demand drove cumulative battery exports in the first quarter to 84.1 GWh, up 36.7% year-on-year. Power batteries remained the main export driver, accounting for 67.6% of total exports.

Global EV battery market share in Jan-Feb 2026: CATL 42.1%, BYD 13.4%

CATL and BYD held a combined 55.5% of the global market in Jan-Feb, down from 59.0% in January.

Battery

Apr 7, 2026