Market Trends of Electric Vehicle Battery Separator Industry
Lithium-ion Battery Segment is Expected to Dominate the Market
- A battery separator, a porous membrane, plays a crucial role in lithium-ion batteries. It prevents electrical short circuits by isolating the cathode and anode, ensuring only lithium ions can pass through.
- In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have emerged as the most commonly used battery technology in electric vehicles. This is due to several advantages associated with them, such as high energy density, relatively long cycle life, and efficiency.
- According to the International Energy Agency, demand for EV batteries reached more than 750 GWh in 2023, up 40% relative to 2022. The majority of these batteries are lithium-ion technology. As lithium-ion battery application in electric vehicles increases, the demand for battery separators for lithium-ion battery technology is expected to increase simultaneously.
- Additionally, the decreasing price of lithium-ion batteries is expected to drive the use of this technology in electric vehicles, which, in turn, will boost the demand for the use of battery separators of lithium-ion technology. In 2023, the price of lithium-ion battery packs suffered a 14% drop compared to the previous year to USD139/kWh.
- Further, as research and development continue to develop more stable and efficient battery separators for electric vehicles, the demand for lithium-ion technology battery separators is expected to increase.
- For instance, in February 2024, Scientists at Incheon National University devised a method to enhance the stability and characteristics of lithium-ion battery separators. They achieve this by incorporating a layer of silicon dioxide along with other functional molecules. Such developments will improve the functionality of lithium-ion separators in electric vehicle applications.
- Thus, owing to the increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries and the technological development of battery separators used in electric vehicles, this segment is expected to have a major share of the market.
North America is Expected to Dominate the Market
- The North American electric vehicle market is majorly driven by the five major players, accounting for more than 70% of the market in 2023. These prominent players include Tesla, Toyota Group, Ford Group, Hyundai, and Honda. Tesla is the highest seller of electric vehicles in North American countries. As the demand for electric vehicles increases, the use of batteries in these vehicles will also increase, thereby driving the electric vehicle battery separator market.
- The demand for electric vehicles is increasing continuously in North America. According to the Energy Information Administration, the combined sales of hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and battery electric vehicles (BEV) in the United States rose to 16.3% of total new light-duty vehicle (LDV) sales in 2023, which was 12.9% in the previous year.
- Further, supportive government policies are also affecting the demand for electric vehicle batteries, thereby affecting the demand for the electric vehicle battery cathode market. Governments across North America have been rolling out policies and incentives to spur EV adoption. These initiatives encompass tax credits, grants, rebates, and investments in charging infrastructure. Such support has bolstered consumer interest in EVs, thereby driving the demand for battery separators.
- With the support of the government, electric vehicle manufacturers are investing in opening local factories for battery separators in the region, thereby easing the supply chain. For instance, in April 2024, Honda Motor Co. Ltd agreed with Asahi Kasei Corporation to produce battery separators for automotive batteries in Canada.
- Thus, owing to the growing number of electric vehicles and increasing local manufacturing of electric vehicle battery separators, the region is expected to dominate the market in the forecast period.