Academician Ouyang Mingao, a leading Chinese scientist in the field of batteries, spoke at the World Conference on Power Batteries in 2026 in Yibin, Sichuan Province. He predicted that by 2030, the volume of lithium-ion battery supplies from China will exceed 3600 GWh, while the global market, according to his estimates, will reach over 5000 GWh.
He presented data on recent rapid progress: in 2025, power battery installations within the country reached 769 GWh, which is 40% more than the previous year. The total volume of China's lithium-ion battery supplies increased by 53%, reaching about 1875 GWh, exceeding 80% of the global figure. Furthermore, six out of ten leading global installation leaders are Chinese companies, accounting for approximately 70% of the total volume.
Ouyang noted that the battery cycle life has increased from several hundred cycles in the early stages, despite the continuous decrease in cost.
In his presentation, Ouyang focused on issues of safety, artificial intelligence, and recycling amid the industry's scaling. He called safety an 'eternal theme' of power batteries, asserting that it must cover the entire lifecycle—from cell chemistry and materials to the usage process, rather than being limited to a single control point.
According to him, artificial intelligence is transforming battery design, manufacturing, and management, with breakthroughs in solid-state batteries particularly depending on AI-based research platforms. Lifecycle data management, starting from production through decommissioning and recycling, will become a key foundation for AI application in the sector, alongside the development of digital battery management, which also affects European regulatory processes.
The third topic was recycling. As the first wave of electric vehicles in China begins to fail, converting spent battery packs into raw materials is directly linked to the sustainable supply of lithium. Ouyang emphasized that related technologies and the increase in resource circulation will shape the industry for many years to come.
Regarding future directions, Ouyang identified two technological vectors that he believes are equally important: high energy density and enhanced safety batteries covering liquid, semi-solid, and fully solid-state designs; and low-cost, long-lasting lithium iron phosphate and sodium-ion batteries.
Ouyang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a long-time leader in electric drive and battery research in China, delivered this speech under the general title 'Achievements and Trends in the Development of China's Power Batteries.'