BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua Silk Road) -- As power battery-centric topics are hotly debated during the 2026 World Power Battery Conference, the global expansion pathways of Chinese producers also remain of keen interest.
In the first half of 2026, Chinese companies represented by Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) occupied seven of the world's top 10 rankings in power battery installations for electric vehicles (EVs).
The results, based on data recently published by SNE Research, a South Korean market research firm, accounted for a dominant 72.4 percent share of global power battery installations, whose growth eased to 20 percent from January to June.
The growth pace of global power battery installations slowed down from the 32 percent year-on-year rise in 2025 and significantly below the 45 percent average annual compound growth rate recorded from 2017 to 2025.
After years of high-speed growth, analysts said the slowdown in power battery installations, a barometer revealing EV industry momentum, did not indicate an overall shrinkage in global EV demand.
Instead, it was highlighting major differences in regional market demands, which meant that the global power battery market has entered a phase of structural transition.
Currently, growth in the global power battery market is increasingly being driven by CATL and other Chinese battery companies. Their local market share, cost advantages and fast product iteration are helping them expand their global foothold, according to SNE Research.
Among them, CATL remained an industry pacesetter in the first half of this year with its power battery installations totaling 242.7GWh, up 25.3 percent year on year, taking up a 39.9 percent share globally, up 1.7 percentage points from the 38.2 percent in the same period of 2025.
CATL's growth relied mainly on its domestic and overseas markets and continuous technological iteration.
In China, its batteries including both lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary batteries are widely installed into EVs of renowned brands such as Li Auto, NIO, Zeekr, Seres and Xiaomi. In overseas markets, CATL's clients include multiple globally renowned automakers.
By developing ternary lithium batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries, condensed-state batteries and sodium-ion batteries, CATL has diversified its technological pathways to help its products fit into different application scenarios.
To participate more deeply in the global power battery market, Chinese battery companies are advised to further sharpen their competitive edge in developing next-generation lithium-ion batteries, such as the solid-state ones.
Compared with traditional liquid lithium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries that replace the liquid electrolyte with nonflammable solid electrolyte have longer lifespan, higher safety and more stable performance.
Unsurprisingly, their industrialization and market acceptance are closely observed by market participants.
Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced that a China-led proposal named "solid-state battery application guide, test items and conditions for electric vehicle traction secondary lithium-ion batteries" had been approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
As the first international standard for solid-state batteries, it was drafted with participation from experts from France, South Korea and Japan and is expected to serve as a unified benchmark for solid-state battery R&D and production by global automakers in the future.
Moreover, it will help share China's advanced battery manufacturing technologies with the world and contribute more Chinese solutions to global battery technology upgrades.
Upon future application of the aforementioned standard, solid-state battery products that have completed national standard verification in China are anticipated to embrace greater mutual data recognition in product testing and shorter overseas verification cycles, helpful for Chinese companies to delve deeper into global supply chains competition, said analysts.
(Edited by Duan Jing with Xinhua Silk Road, duanjing@xinhua.org)
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