In Q3 2022, more than 77,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) were deployed in the cells of recently sold passenger plug-in vehicles globally, 70% more than was deployed in the same period the year before, according to Adamas Intelligence.
In the Asia Pacific region, LCE deployment rose 100% year-over-year in Q3 2022 to 49,000 tonnes, and over the same period there was a 91% increase in plug-in vehicle sales.
In Europe, deployment rose 18% year-over-year in Q3 2022 to 16,600 tonnes. There was a 4% increase in plug-in vehicle sales over the same period.
In the Americas, deployment rose 70% year-over-year in Q3 2022 to 11,300 tonnes, and over the same period there was a 42% rise in plug-in vehicle sales.
In Q3 2022, 58% of all LCE deployed onto roads globally was attributed to China, 13% to the US, and 6% to Germany. Together, these three countries captured 77% of the global market, up from a combined 71% in Q3 2021.
In Q3 2022, 59% of LCE units deployed onto roads in passenger plug-in vehicles were derived from lithium carbonate (compared to 54% in Q3 2021) and 41% from hydroxide (compared to 46% in Q3 2021). This indicates that LFP and NCM 5-series cells continue to gain market share from high-nickel batteries that use lithium hydroxide, like NCM and NCA.
As of Q3 2022, there are 537 unique passenger plug-in vehicle models available for sale globally (and 749 versions of those models), per data from Adamas. But the Tesla Model Y alone accounted for more than 10% of all LCE deployed onto roads globally in Q3 2022 and for more than 15% in combination with Tesla Model 3.
Source: Adamas
