As the year draws to a close, the new energy battery market is experiencing "ups and downs," facing both complex opportunities and challenges.
On one hand, the futures price of lithium carbonate has broken through the 120,000 yuan/ton mark, leading to a continuous increase in cost pressure for the 中下游 (midstream and downstream) of the industrial chain. On the other hand, leading battery companies are making frequent moves in the sodium-ion battery (钠电) field, bringing the long-dormant topic of sodium-ion battery industrialization back into the spotlight of the industry.
Could sodium-ion batteries become a strategic choice for battery industry chain enterprises to cope with cost pressures? Will the new energy battery industry truly usher in a "lithium-sodium complementary" pattern? These questions have sparked market speculation and reflection.
As one of the core raw materials for lithium batteries, changes in the price of lithium carbonate have always been a major concern for the entire industrial chain.
The futures price of lithium carbonate once plummeted to a low of 59,000 yuan/ton in the middle of this year but has since staged a strong rebound in recent months. Entering December, it has continued to surge.
On December 23, the price of the main contract for lithium carbonate futures broke through the 120,000 yuan/ton mark, hitting a new high for the year and attracting unprecedented market attention. This has also significantly increased the cost pressure on the new energy battery industry.
Some industry experts predict that global demand for lithium carbonate in 2026 is expected to grow by 30%, gradually achieving supply-demand balance. If this growth rate reaches 40%, the price of lithium carbonate could continue to rise.
For downstream material and battery companies, the high price of lithium will directly squeeze their profit margins. Coupled with the intense competition in the new energy vehicle market, cost control capabilities have become one of the core competencies for enterprises in the lithium battery industry chain.
Against this backdrop, the demand for low-cost alternative solutions by enterprises in the new energy battery industry has become increasingly urgent, which has provided an important opportunity for the industrialization and development of sodium batteries.
Recent observations show that leading battery and material companies have successively announced major moves in the sodium-ion battery field.
With CATL's expected mass production and supply of vehicle sodium-ion batteries in 2026, and EVE Energy's focus on building comprehensive energy storage solutions integrating hydrogen, lithium, and sodium, these moves will help increase the market penetration of sodium-ion batteries in the vehicle and energy storage sectors.
