The Global Race to Crack China’s Battery Dominance
On the new season of Bloomberg Primer, see the frenzied contest in the US and elsewhere to catch up, and the new discoveries being made along the way.
Photo Illustration: Yuka Armaki
China controls much of the global electric vehicle battery supply chain—from raw materials to the finished cars built around them. It’s the end result of years of state-directed investment and research that has placed the nation at the forefront of one of the most important technologies of the 21st century.
Now, the landscape might be beginning to shift. Domestic overcapacity and price wars are pushing Chinese companies to expand overseas. At the same time, rivals in other countries are scrambling to compete, developing new battery chemistries and building their own supply chains in a bid to somehow challenge its dominance. On the premiere episode of the new season of Bloomberg Primer, we explore how this contest is playing out and what it augurs for the future of automobiles, green technology and the energy transition.