From Jan to Mar 2026, Global[1] EV Battery Usage[2] Posted 244.6GWh, a 9.1% YoY Growth
- From Jan to Mar 2026, K-trio’s M/S recorded 15.6%, a 2.1%p YoY decline
From Jan to Mar 2026, the amount of energy held by batteries
for electric vehicles (EV, PHEV, HEV) registered worldwide was approximately 244.6GWh,
a 9.1% YoY growth.
(Source: 2026 Apr Global Monthly EV and Battery Monthly Tracker, SNE Research)
The combined market shares of LG Energy Solution, SK On, and Samsung SDI in global electric vehicle battery usage from Jan to Mar 2026 posted 15.6%, a 2.1%p decline from the same period last year.
LG Energy Solution grew by 6.6% (23.7 GWh) compared to the same period last year, while SK On and Samsung SDI saw decreases of 10.4% (9.0 GWh) and 27.7% (5.3 GWh), respectively.
This is analyzed to be a result of a 28.4% drop in electric vehicle (EV) sales in the U.S. market, coupled with a slowdown in EV sales by major automakers leading to a reduction in battery consumption.
Meanwhile, in the global market, certain Chinese battery manufacturers—led by CATL—continued to expand their market share, causing the foothold of domestic Korean companies to further diminish.
(Source: 2026 Apr Global Monthly EV and Battery Monthly Tracker, SNE Research)
Looking at the battery usage by vehicle manufacturer for the three major Korean companies, Samsung SDI showed the highest supply shares for BMW, Audi, and Rivian, in that order.
However, as EV sales slowed down across most major client companies, Samsung SDI's battery installation volume declined.
In particular, for clients with a high dependence on the North American market, such as Rivian and Jeep, the impact of the U.S. EV sales slump was directly reflected, leading to a wider margin of decrease.
Sales for BMW's key electrified models, including the i4, i5, i7, and Ix, were generally sluggish, and Audi also failed to see the expected sales boost despite the launch of the Q6 e-tron.
SK On's batteries were primarily installed in vehicles from major automakers such as Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, and Volkswagen.
In the case of Hyundai Motor Group, battery installation increased due to steady sales of the IONIQ 5 and the impact of the newly launched IONIQ 9.
However, overall installation volume declined as EV sales slowed across other major clients, including Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen.
Specifically, Ford saw a sharp drop in sales due to the production halt of the F-150 Lightning, which acted as a major factor in the decrease of SK On's battery usage.
This decline was further exacerbated by the slowdown in EV demand within the U.S. market. Volkswagen also saw a significant drop in ID.4 sales, leading to a reduction in battery installation volume.
LG Energy Solution’s batteries were primarily installed in vehicles from major automakers such as Tesla, Chevrolet, Kia, and Volkswagen.
Tesla saw a significant increase in battery installation volume driven by rising sales of the Model Y and Model YL.
Similarly, Kia’s usage of LG Energy Solution batteries grew following the launch of new models like the EV4 and expanded sales of existing lineups.
Renault and Skoda also showed growth, reflecting increased sales of their key electric vehicle models.
Panasonic, which maintains a high supply share for Tesla, recorded 9.1 GWh in battery usage from January to March 2026, a 4.0% increase compared to the same period last year.
While sales for its primary client Tesla were bolstered by the standout performance of the Model Y, the Model 3 saw a decline, signaling a shift in demand structure between models.
Notably, with the decision to halt production of the Model S and Model X, the possibility of a decrease in battery demand due to the reduction of high-end lineups is growing.
In response to these trends, Panasonic is focusing on developing next-generation 4680 and 2170 cells and improving production efficiency in North America to reduce its heavy reliance on Tesla.
This is interpreted as a strategy to buffer against the risk of Tesla’s expanding battery internalization while maintaining a long-term market share within the North American market.
CATL maintained its global number one position from January to March 2026, recording 99.5 GWh, a 15.2% increase compared to the same period last year.
This growth was driven by a significant surge in battery installations for major Chinese automakers, including SERES, Li Auto, NIO, and ZEEKR.
In particular, SERES saw a sharp rise in installation volume due to the expanding sales of its AITO series, while Li Auto and NIO also posted high growth rates thanks to the launch of new models.
Conversely, CATL's battery usage for Tesla saw a slight decline, affected by the decrease in Model 3 sales.
Meanwhile, CATL is diversifying its client portfolio by expanding supplies to global automakers such as Toyota, Kia, and Skoda.
BYD recorded 33.5 GWh, an 8.0% decrease year-over-year, yet managed to hold onto its position as the global number two.
The decline in battery usage was primarily attributed to falling domestic sales of its own brand within China.
On the other hand, battery installations increased for certain clients and new brands, such as Xiaomi and Fangchengbao, as their sales expanded.
While growth was also seen among commercial vehicle and overseas clients like XCMG and Mahindra & Mahindra, it was not enough to offset the sluggish performance of major clients such as Xpeng, Denza, and NIO.
This highlights that despite BYD's efforts to diversify its customer base, its battery usage remains highly volatile and heavily dependent on its own electric vehicle sales trends.
(Source: 2026 Apr Global Monthly EV and Battery Monthly Tracker, SNE Research)
The global secondary battery market for electric vehicles from January to March 2026 showed signs of entering a structural transition period as demand trends diverged across regions and automakers.
While the Chinese and North American markets experienced a slowdown or decline, growth continued in Europe, Asia (excluding China), and other emerging markets, leading to a diversification of the demand center.
By company, CATL strengthened its market dominance by simultaneously expanding its supply to major Chinese automakers and global OEMs, whereas BYD saw increased volatility with a drop in battery usage due to the decline in its own EV sales.
The three major Korean battery manufacturers saw their market share fall as they were directly impacted by the slowing EV sales of key clients in North America and Europe.
In the first quarter of 2026, the combined global market share of these three Korean companies stood at 15.6%, down 2.1 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
LG Energy Solution saw an increase in battery usage driven by sales growth from some clients, but confirmed a burden on profitability by recording an operating loss in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, SK On and Samsung SDI experienced a decrease in battery installation volume due to sluggish sales from major clients and slowing demand in North America.
Consequently, domestic companies are expanding their business areas into non-EV sectors, such as energy storage systems (ESS), data center power infrastructure, and battery backup units (BBU), to counter the stagnation in EV demand.
In conclusion, the first quarter of 2026 was a period marked by the expanding dominance of Chinese companies and simultaneous profitability pressures on Korean firms.
Future competitiveness is expected to depend on the diversification of regional, client, and product mixes, as well as the ability to secure new demand sources outside of the electric vehicle market, rather than simple capacity expansion.
[2] Based on battery installation for xEV registered during the relevant period.