Lithium battery market will exceed US$1.7 billion in 2014

The theory of high-energy lithium primary batteries has matured in the late 1970s. Due to the existence of security risks at that time, the products were mainly used in the military field at the earliest. After the 1990s, with the effective solution of battery capacity and safety matching problems, high-energy lithium primary batteries began to gradually enter the civilian market and achieved rapid development. At present, high-energy lithium primary batteries have matured applications in the field of high-performance instrumentation, and their high specific energy, wide temperature range for adaptation, and low self-discharge rate have gradually gained prominence in many new areas. As battery technology and performance continue to improve, its application areas will continue to expand.

CMIC analysts believe that more manufacturers will start producing lithium polymer rechargeable batteries in the future. Lithium-polymer rechargeable batteries have a shape that can be easily customized compared to lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, and are characterized by their large capacity and high safety. Therefore, as the price of lithium polymer rechargeable batteries is gradually reduced to the price level of lithium ion rechargeable batteries, lithium ion batteries are likely to be replaced by lithium polymer batteries. From the use point of view, automotive products have attracted much attention. With the increase in the demand for vehicles with low emissions with high efficiency and harmful substances, the lithium battery market for hybrid vehicles is expected to take shape. The demand for small lithium batteries for portable products is also very strong, and the production of such batteries is expected to remain the main force in the next few years.

In 2007, the total sales of the global battery market approached 60 billion U.S. dollars, and the lithium primary battery market accounted for about 2% of the total, which was 1.1 billion U.S. dollars, of which lithium sub-cells were 340 million, accounting for 31.1%; lithium manganese batteries were 500 million, accounting for 45.7%. CMIC analysts expect that the lithium primary battery market will maintain a growth rate of about 7% in the future, and the total market volume in 2014 will exceed 1.7 billion US dollars.