TrendForce Says Electric Vehicles Market Expects Steady Growth, yet the Price of Cobalt Remains a Key Concern for Future Growth

The demand for xEV battery in China sees significant growth in 2017 due to carmakers’ acceleration into electric vehicles production. The global xEV battery demand expects a steady growth from 2 billion units in 2017 to 2.5 billion units in 2018, a Y0Y increase of 24%, says EnergyTrend, a division of TrendForce.

China’s rapidly expanding NEV market has driven the battery makers to mainly focus on xEV batteries although IT products used to be the main market of battery supply. Consequently, the price of cobalt, a key material in battery cells, has been thriving up during the past year. With the cost rising and the government’s subsidy decreasing, China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market may face potential risks for future growth.

The New Phase of Top Runner Program Favors Companies Already Dominant in Application Bases and N-Type Solutions in Technology Bases

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has recently released the official list of proposed projects under the Top Runner Program for 2017. This next (3rd) phase of expansion for the program divides the proposed projects into two categories – those in the application bases and those in the technology bases. The former category aims to have projects offering competitive prices and economic benefits to the local communities, while the latter is about demonstrating next-generation technologies.