Battery Metals Market

Market Overview

The global battery metals market size was valued at USD 13,295.10 million in 2022. It is projected to reach USD 27,362.25 million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 8.35% during the forecast period (2023-2031). 

The raw minerals required to make batteries, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite, are known as battery metals. These battery metals are being utilized more frequently in batteries for consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and other uses. Brine and hard rock deposits found in countries with economies like China, the Americas, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Portugal are sources of lithium metal. In lithium-ion batteries, cobalt is most frequently utilized as the cathode material. Nickel has a high energy density and storage capacity, making it a good choice for battery applications. Increased use of smartphones, tablets, and other electronic gadgets has positively impacted the global battery metal market.

Highlights

• The lithium segment is the highest contributor to the industry by metal type.
• The consumer electronics segment is the highest contributor to the market by application. 
• Asia-Pacific is the most significant revenue contributor by region.

Market Dynamics

Global Battery Metals Market Drivers

Increasing Demand for Smartphones, Tablets, and other Electronic Gadgets

Due to their extended lifespan and high energy density, batteries are widely utilized in electronic devices such as tablets, laptops, mobile phones, PCs, and cameras. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops/PCs are the leading apps that use batteries on all electronic devices. The efficiency of batteries is one of the critical characteristics needed in the current business environment for the increased sale of electronic gadgets. Due to their enhanced performance and affordable prices, smartphones, tablets, and laptops/PCs sell more than other electronic devices. Before purchasing any tablet, smartphone, or laptop/PC, people frequently inquire about battery backup. Li-ion batteries, which offer longer energy life than other battery chemistries and are primarily used in the production of smartphones, will see increased demand in the years to come.

In addition, demand for smartphones and tablets is anticipated to increase due to price reductions and quick technology improvements. Manufacturers of mobile phones are also introducing several smartphones with improved performance capabilities in lower price ranges. Due to their technological advantages, Li-ion batteries are used by mobile phone manufacturers; as a result, demand for Li-ion batteries is anticipated to rise.

Rapid Growth in the Field of Renewable Energy

During the projected period, the market for battery metals is anticipated to increase favorably due to significant expansion in the renewable energy sector. Due to increased investment in renewable energy projects, Asia-Pacific experienced the highest growth rate. Residential, commercial, and industrial consumers' growing need for electricity is met by renewable energy sources, including hydropower, wind, and solar, which increases the requirement for stationary energy storage. Additionally, the benefits of renewable energy, such as its widespread accessibility, low cost, and clean source, are boosting their demand. This leads to the rise of the renewable energy industry, propelling the worldwide battery market.

Global Battery Metals Market Restraint

Rise in Battery Waste and Possible Security of Supply

The main constraints limiting the market's growth are the surge in battery waste and growing concerns about its disposal. Materials including lead, nickel, lithium, cadmium, nickel metal hydride and mercury are used to make batteries. These hazardous substances and metals must be disposed of and recycled correctly. Additionally, the improper disposal of dangerous heavy metals can contaminate the land and water, harming the environment and wildlife. Therefore, it is anticipated that incorrect battery metal recycling and disposal may impede market expansion.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, roughly 50% of cobalt reserves, 58% of lithium reserves, and 80% of natural graphite reserves, respectively, according to a report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development. It is anticipated that the potential political instability and unfavorable environmental effects will raise supply security risk, leading to higher costs and impeding market expansion.

Global Battery Metals Market Opportunities

Increase in Funding for Rural and Remote Region Electrification

Emerging nations like China, India, and Brazil are investing in rural and distant areas of electrification. The key drivers of the need for electrification in these countries, which stimulates the need for batteries for energy storage, are the rise in population and the acceleration of urbanization. With the aid of on-grid and off-grid solutions, Asia-Pacific nations, including Bhutan, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Cambodia, recorded the highest electrification growth rate over the previous five years. Thus, considering all of the factors above, the rise in demand for stationary energy storage in off-grid solutions, such as renewable energy power plants, will present lucrative opportunities for the market expansion of battery metals during the forecast period.

Regional Analysis

The global battery metals market is divided into four regions: Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, and LAMEA. 

Asia-Pacific Dominates the Global Market

Asia-Pacific is the most significant revenue contributor and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 8.45% during the forecast period. Regarding revenue, the battery metals market is expanding fastest in Asia-Pacific. China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Australia are the principal drivers of this region's expansion. The Asia-Pacific region's high population growth and economic development drive the expansion of the electricity and consumer electronics industry. The market for lithium-ion batteries has attractive potential in China, followed by Japan. This is explained by the presence of well-known producers in China and Japan, including AESC, Panasonic, and China BAK Battery, Inc. India is predicted to have the most significant CAGR in the global market for battery metals due to the country's rising interest in e-mobility and consumer electronics.

North America is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 8.35% during the forecast period. The main reason predicted to propel the expansion of the battery metals market during the forecast period is the rise in demand for battery metals from various industrial sectors, including consumer electronics, automotive, electricity, and other energy storage applications. A factor driving the growth of the battery metals market in North America is the ongoing power outages caused by natural catastrophes and the aging of the electric grid infrastructure. The market has grown dramatically due to the surge in demand for batteries as a backup power source from manufacturing, commercial buildings, and educational institutions.

The third-largest market share for battery metals belongs to Europe, which dominates the market for electric vehicles. This region's income sources include Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy. The need for batteries has grown significantly in the field of electric vehicles and other energy storage needs because Europe is one of the top makers of automobiles, accounting for 4% of its GDP. Additionally, the increased usage of batteries in Europe's mining, medical, military, and other industrial sectors has a substantial positive impact on the market's expansion.

LAMEA is one of the key regions studied in the report due to the rapid expansion of the region's oil and gas, building and construction, and other industries. Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa are three of the LAMEA region's largest economies in terms of the market for battery metals. The need for Li-ion batteries has grown due to key manufacturers increasing their investments in electric vehicles in various LAMEA growing markets. Growth is anticipated in the automotive and electronic sectors and the medical, mining, and defense sectors. These are the main forces driving the demand for battery metals forward. 

Segmental Analysis

The global battery metals market is segmented by metal type and application.

Based on metals type, the global battery metals market is bifurcated into lithium, cobalt, nickel, and others.

The lithium segment is the highest contributor to the industry and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 8.40% during the forecast period. Lithium is a delicate, glossy, and white metal. The least dense metal is lithium, and it reacts with water. Lithium is primarily utilized in batteries for electric vehicles, robots, power grid storage, laptops, digital cameras, mobile phones, and other electronic devices. Ingot, pellet, and powdered forms of lithium metal are all readily available. Aluminum, magnesium, and lithium metal are utilized as an alloy. Lithium sheds lithium ions that are positively charged and electrons very ease. Lithium is primarily produced in Chile, Argentina, China, and Australia, with the most important markets being the United States, China, South Korea, Japan, and Argentina.

Cobalt is a beautiful, magnetic, silver-blue metal that can be alloyed with aluminum and nickel to create magnets. The biggest cobalt producers from mining are China, Canada, Russia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Battery manufacture for electric transportation, stationary storage, and consumer electronics uses cobalt metal, cobalt hydroxide, and cobalt oxide as cobalt-containing compounds. During the projected period, the market for battery metals for cobalt is anticipated to develop due to the rise in demand for cobalt in rechargeable batteries from various electric mobility applications. Cobalt-based batteries are becoming more prevalent in e-mobility applications like electric and hybrid automobiles. Cobalt is utilized in rechargeable batteries almost 45% of the time worldwide.

The metal that is most corrosion-resistant at high temperatures is nickel. Nickel has many uses, including the production of alloys, the construction of desalination plants, the manufacture of rechargeable batteries, and the protection against corrosion in electric ovens and toasters. Nickel-based batteries frequently used nowadays include nickel metal hydride and nickel-cadmium batteries. China, Russia, Japan, South Africa, Indonesia, Australia, and Canada are among the nations that generate the most nickel on a global scale. Nickel has qualities like solid elasticity, high melting point, resistance to corrosion and oxidation, and recyclable nature.

Based on application, the global battery metals market is bifurcated into consumer electronics, electric mobility, energy storage systems, and others.

The consumer electronics segment owns the highest market and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 8.35% during the forecast period. Consumer electronics is one of the primary revenue sources for the battery metals market. Smartphones, laptops, tablets/PCs, and UPS are a few consumer electronics products that use battery metals. The consumer electronics industry's smartphone and laptop applications have the most significant market share, raising the need for batteries. The market for battery metals is predicted to rise due to increased demand for consumer electronics applications brought on by price reductions and improvements in consumer electronics products. Manufacturers of smartphones, UPS systems, and laptops are concentrating on offering high-efficiency and battery backup.

Due to its greater efficiency than other traditional batteries, rechargeable batteries are widely used in electric and hybrid vehicles, cars, scooters, trains, and airplanes. Due to several initiatives and programs, government funding for R&D, subsidies for electric vehicle owners, and public awareness-raising campaigns about the advantages of electric and hybrid vehicles, buses, and trucks, the e-mobility market have experienced tremendous growth over the last ten years. The need for electric vehicles is anticipated to rise as environmental degradation from conventional fuels used in transportation becomes more widely recognized. This will likely increase demand for batteries, which will support the market for battery metals in the future.

Batteries are being employed increasingly in energy storage systems for renewable energy, the smart grid, and lifting. These power sources include nickel metal hydride, cadmium, and lithium-ion batteries. These energy storage devices are used in cutting-edge applications like power tools and large lifting cranes, which raises demand for them in the industrial sector. The need for battery metals is predicted to increase due to the rapid expansion of the renewable energy sector due to the implementation of strict government restrictions in response to the worrisome rise in environmental pollution.

The medical, military, mining, and textile sectors are further segments. The primary users of batteries in medical applications are portable medical equipment such as blood glucose meters, wearable health monitors, and blood pressure and heart rate monitors. Batteries for the military must be equipped with high-performance features like vibration and shock load absorption. Batteries are used in trucks, bulldozers, drills, power tools, explosives, and other mining equipment. The need for batteries to power tools, exercises, bulldozers, and explosives is predicted to increase due to an increase in mining and exploration operations, which is a significant factor driving the market for battery metals. 

Recent Developments

• March 2023- American Battery Technology Company, an American critical battery materials company that is commercializing both its primary minerals manufacturing and secondary minerals lithium-ion battery recycling technologies, announced that it executed a term sheet agreement with global marketing and supply chain platform TechMet-Mercuria for a USD 20 million non-dilutive pre-payment for the purchase of its recycled battery metal products.
• March 2023- South Star Battery Metals Corp. announced the successful completion of its maiden mineral resource estimate (“MRE”) for the BamaStar Graphite Project located in Coosa County, Alabama, United States (the “Project”).