The automotive battery industry spans electric-vehicle batteries, legacy lead-acid systems, manufacturing capacity, materials, recycling and vehicle adoption. The figures below distinguish observed outcomes from estimates and scenario forecasts, and identify the geography, period and measurement definition for each statistic.
Key Automotive Battery Industry Statistics
These highlights summarize the most broadly useful measures across the industry:
- Global EV battery demand exceeded 950 GWh in 2024, up 25% from 2023 across vehicles sold worldwide.
- Electric cars accounted for more than 85% of global EV battery demand in 2024, measured by battery demand by vehicle mode.
- Global battery-cell manufacturing capacity exceeded 3 TWh in 2024, after growing almost 30% from 2023.
- China held about 85% of global battery manufacturing capacity in 2024, based on cell manufacturing capacity.
- EV battery deployment reached 1.2 TWh globally in 2025, almost 30% above 2024 and more than seven times 2020.
- Light-duty vehicles represented more than 85% of global EV battery deployment in 2025, including cars and vans.
- Average U.S. BEV battery size reached 90 kWh in 2025, measured per battery-electric car.
- Global electric-car sales exceeded 20 million in 2025, up 20% and equal to one-quarter of new-car sales.
- China’s electric-car sales share was nearly 55% in 2025, following the IEA electric-car category.
- There were 630 BEV models available globally in 2025, a model-availability measure rather than a sales count.
- The average global BEV range was almost 380 km in 2025, using the IEA data’s test-cycle basis.
- Lead-acid batteries accounted for an estimated 86% of reported U.S. lead consumption in 2024, not total global consumption.
- U.S. automotive, truck and motorcycle lead-acid battery generation was 2.9 million tons in 2018, within the EPA municipal-solid-waste accounting scope.
- EPA estimated a 99% recycling rate for lead and polypropylene casings from U.S. lead-acid batteries in 2018, including recovered electrolytes and other materials.
- The U.S. lead-acid battery industry supports more than 100,000 jobs, according to an industry estimate cited in an EPA case study.
- The global EV fleet avoided around 1.7 million barrels of oil per day in 2025, an IEA modeled estimate rather than a direct fuel-meter reading.
- IEA STEPS projects global EV battery demand above 3 TWh in 2030, compared with about 1 TWh in 2024.
Contents
- Key Automotive Battery Industry Statistics
- Global Automotive Battery Industry Scale and EV Demand
- Battery Manufacturing Capacity and Supply-Chain Concentration
- Electric-Car Battery Adoption and Market Trends
- Lead-Acid Battery Production and Material Flows
- Automotive Battery Recycling and End-of-Life Data
- Automotive Battery Outlook and Measured Impacts
Global Automotive Battery Industry Scale and EV Demand
The International Energy Agency reported that energy-sector battery demand, including electric vehicles and storage, reached 1 TWh globally in 2024. The automotive measure was narrower: EV battery demand exceeded 950 GWh, 25% above 2023.
The IEA defines EV battery demand as the volume-weighted average battery size multiplied by vehicle sales, excluding vehicle and battery stockpiling. This means regional demand reflects batteries installed in vehicles sold in each region, not batteries manufactured there.
| 2024 measure | Result | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| EV battery demand | More than 950 GWh | Global EVs |
| Electric-car share of EV battery demand | More than 85% | Global EVs |
| Electric-truck growth | More than 75% | Global, versus 2023 |
| Electric-truck share | Nearly 3% | Global EV battery demand |
Source: Electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2025.
China’s EV battery demand grew by more than 30% in 2024, while U.S. demand grew by 20%. Emerging markets and developing economies outside China reached nearly 5% of global EV battery demand, and European electric-truck demand grew about 25% while representing about 10% of global electric-truck battery demand.
Battery Manufacturing Capacity and Supply-Chain Concentration
Global battery-cell manufacturing capacity grew almost 30% in 2024 to more than 3 TWh of annual capacity. Capacity indicates the ability to manufacture cells, not actual production, sales or utilization.
- China held about 85% of global battery manufacturing capacity in 2024.
- Chinese producers owned more than 75% of global battery manufacturing capacity in 2024; ownership is distinct from facility location.
- U.S. battery manufacturing capacity grew almost 50% in 2024, but that growth does not imply equivalent output.
- Korean companies accounted for nearly 70% of U.S. battery-capacity growth in 2024, attributed to companies attracted by tax credits.
- EU battery manufacturing capacity increased 10% in 2024.
New plants also expanded capacity in emerging production locations. Indian plants opened in 2024 with more than 5 GWh per year of capacity, while Indonesian plants opened with more than 10 GWh per year; opening capacity was not necessarily utilized capacity.
In 2025, EV battery deployment reached 1.2 TWh globally, almost 30% above 2024 and more than seven times 2020. EVs represented more than 70% of total global battery deployment, and light-duty vehicles represented more than 85% of EV deployment.
Source: Electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2025 and Electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2026.
Electric-Car Battery Adoption and Market Trends
Battery size, sales adoption, vehicle choice and range all shape automotive battery demand. In 2025, the average U.S. battery-electric car had a 90 kWh battery, while the average Chinese plug-in hybrid battery rose almost 10% to above 25 kWh and the EU average rose almost 15% to just over 20 kWh.
| 2025 market measure | Result | Geography or population |
|---|---|---|
| Electric-car sales | More than 20 million; up 20% | Global, one-quarter of new-car sales |
| Electric-car sales share | Nearly 55% | China |
| Electric-car sales share | Just under 10% | United States |
| Electric-car sales growth | More than doubled to nearly 20% share | Southeast Asia |
| Electric-car sales growth | 75% | Latin America, versus 2024 |
Source: Executive summary – Global EV Outlook 2026 and Electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2026.
Chinese automakers supplied 60% of global electric-car sales in 2025. European and North American automakers each supplied about 15%, with shares attributed by automaker headquarters region rather than necessarily by assembly location.
There were 630 BEV models available globally in 2025. The five best-selling models represented about 20% of global BEV sales, while the top 35 represented around half; these are model-sales concentration measures, not battery-capacity concentration.
The average BEV range was almost 380 km in 2025, and sales-weighted range rose roughly 10% from 2020 to 2025. The average range had plateaued, and range growth should not be interpreted as a battery-capacity growth rate.
Source: Trends in electric cars – Global EV Outlook 2026.
Lead-Acid Battery Production and Material Flows
Lead-acid batteries remain important to the automotive battery industry, but the available U.S. lead statistics are broader than finished automotive-battery sales. USGS lead-content measures include uses beyond automotive batteries, although lead-acid batteries dominate reported U.S. lead consumption.
| U.S. lead measure | 2024 result | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Mine production of recoverable lead | Estimated 290 thousand metric tons | Lead content |
| Secondary-refinery production from old scrap | Estimated 1,000 thousand metric tons | Lead content |
| Apparent lead consumption | Estimated 1,400 thousand metric tons | Supply-balance measure |
| Refined-lead net import reliance | Estimated 28% | Share of apparent consumption |
| Average North American lead price | 110 cents per pound | Lead price, not battery price |
USGS estimated that lead-acid batteries represented 86% of reported U.S. lead consumption in 2024. It also estimated secondary lead production at $2.4 billion and about 70% of apparent domestic lead consumption; both values cover secondary lead across uses.
Source: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Lead.
Automotive Battery Recycling and End-of-Life Data
EPA’s U.S. municipal-solid-waste estimates cover automobiles, trucks and motorcycles and run through 2018, so they should not be presented as current global automotive-battery sales. Automotive, truck and motorcycle lead-acid battery generation was 2.9 million U.S. tons in 2018, equal to 1.0% of total U.S. MSW generation.
EPA reported 2.87 million tons of lead-acid battery recycling and 30 thousand tons of landfilling in 2018. It estimated a 99% recycling rate for lead and polypropylene casings, counting recovered electrolytes and other materials with recyclable lead and polypropylene, while less than 1% of U.S. lead-acid batteries were landfilled.
Lead-acid collection access existed in all 50 U.S. states, although access does not mean equal convenience or collection volume. A 2025 Battery Council International study cited by EPA estimated that new U.S.-made lead-acid batteries contained more than 80% recycled material.
The EPA case study also reports industry-attributed economic estimates: more than 100,000 U.S. jobs and a $15 billion contribution to U.S. GDP. EPA attributes these figures to Battery Council International, and the employment and GDP methodology is not detailed on the page.
Source: Durable Goods: Product-Specific Data and Battery Collection in Action Case Study: The Lead-Acid Battery Collection Network.
Automotive Battery Outlook and Measured Industry Impacts
The IEA STEPS projects EV battery demand above 3 TWh in 2030, compared with about 1 TWh in 2024. This is a scenario projection, not an observed outcome.
| Outlook measure | Projection | Scenario and scope |
|---|---|---|
| EV battery demand in 2030 | More than 3 TWh | IEA STEPS, global EVs |
| Electric-truck share in 2030 | More than 8% | IEA STEPS, EV battery demand |
| Non-China EMDE share in 2030 | 10% | IEA STEPS, global EV battery demand |
| U.S. share in 2030 | Below 10% | IEA STEPS, global EV battery demand |
| EV deployment in 2030 | Almost 3 TWh | IEA CPS and STEPS |
The STEPS projects electric trucks above 8% of EV battery demand in 2030, versus nearly 3% in 2024. It projects non-China EMDEs doubling their share from nearly 5% in 2024 to 10% in 2030, while the U.S. share declines from about 13% to below 10%.
The IEA’s 2026 battery outlook projects global EV deployment at around 4 TWh in 2035 in CPS and almost 5 TWh in STEPS, while the NZE Scenario projects around 9 TWh. Electric trucks are projected at around 10% of EV battery deployment in both 2030 and 2035, up from 8% in 2025.
Finally, the IEA estimated that the global EV fleet avoided around 1.7 million barrels of oil per day in 2025. This is modeled avoided consumption, not a direct fuel-meter reading.
Source: Electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2025, Electric vehicle batteries – Global EV Outlook 2026, and Executive summary – Global EV Outlook 2026.