2017 Installed Electric Bus Battery Capacity in China
2017 was another big year for the deployment of electric buses in China, with 89,546 deployed, but who supplies the batteries that are creating the world’s largest electric bus fleet in the world? For this, we need to find the 2017 Chinese installed capacity.
In 2017, Chinese installed battery capacity for the whole new energy vehicle market was 37.06 GWh, but 14.5 GWh of that installed capacity was for purely electric buses, which means that electric buses are still ahead of passenger cars by one percentage point.
The interesting addition in the data is the under-explored “special use vehicles” category, which includes sanitation, logistics, and public services vehicles.
Below, you can find the list of companies that are producing the batteries that are “fueling” the boom in battery electric buses in China.
| Rank | Company Name (Chinese) | Company Name (English) | Company Name (Short or Alternative) | Website | Amount (MWh) |
| 1 | 宁德时代新能源科技股份有限公司 | Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited | CATL | http://www.catlbattery.com/en/ | 5349.29 |
| 2 | 惠州比亚迪电池有点公司 | Huizhou BYD Battery Co., Ltd | BYD Huizhou | http://www.byd.cn/ | 1664.27 |
| 3 | 深圳市沃特玛电池有限公司 | Shenzhen Wotema Battery Co., Ltd. | OptimimNano | http://www.chinawtm.com/ | 1383.66 |
| 4 | 合肥国轩高科动力能源有限公司 | Hefei Guoxuan high-tech power energy co Ltd | Guoxuan High-tech | www.hfgxgk.com/ | 983.79 |
| 5 | 深圳市比亚迪锂电池有限公司 | Shenzhen BYD Lithium Battery Co., Ltd | BYD Shenzhen | http://www.byd.cn/ | 872.64 |
| 6 | 珠海银隆新能源股份有限公司 | Yinlong | Yinlong | http://www.zhyle.com/ | 736.02 |
| 7 | 北京国能电池科技有限公司 | Beijing National Battery Technology | National Battery | http://www.nationalpower.com.cn/ | 568.74 |
| 8 | 微宏动力系统（湖州）有限公司 | Micro Power System (Huzhou) Co., Ltd. | Microvast | http://www.microvast.com.cn/ | 397.27 |
| 9 | 力神动力电池系统有限公司 | Lishen Battery Co., Ltd. | Lishen | http://www.lishen.com.cn/ | 297.8 |
| 10 | 中航锂电（洛阳）有限公司 | China Aviation Lithium Battery Co Ltd. | CALB | http://www.calb.cn/ | 271.13 |
Data source: Research Department of Power Battery Application Branch
China Dominates China
For outside observers, the absence of big international battery companies such as Panasonic, LG Chem, Samsung, AESC, etc. can be explained by the government policy of only subsidising batteries manufactured in China, which creates a protected market. For business observers of China, the results are surely not be a surprise. The top three companies — CATL, BYD Huizhou, and OptimimNano — account for 50% of the installed capacity, and the top ten companies account for 86% of the total installed capacity.
China’s EV Leadership
Battery sales and installed capacity are reliant on companies deploying battery electric vehicles. In recent years in China, the push to produce a large number and big variety of electric vehicles has been deeply inspired and guided by government policies. It is the largest electric car and electric bus market in the world — by far — and that means big business for battery leaders in the country.
Changes to policy could dampen demand at any time — rapid growth might fade — but China clearly values being a leader in this market and offering stable strong support for the EV and broader cleantech world. The expansion of focus in EV market — such as an increased focus on logistics vehicles and private passenger vehicles — might shift the growth within the market to the under-penetrated market segments. Either way, a lot of batteries will be produced, installed, and used for transportation in China.
Digging Deeper into the Chinese EV Battery Market
While installed capacity by company is an interesting data set to look at when thinking about how and where OEMs are sourcing their supplies, the next level deeper is the type of battery chemistry being deployed and the reasons for certain battery chemistry choices. I intend to look at this information in a forthcoming article.
Sources: nev.ofweek.com, Research Department of Power Battery Application Branch
Featured image by Kyle Field/CleanTechnica