Battery Shortages Coming

The future scenario looks bleak. Especially when taking into account the strategic gap in battery cell supply now arising as demand is exploding – not only due to the automotive industry switching to electric cars and buses.Other applications such as more mobile electrical devices as well as energy storage systems are on the rise because of the transition to green energy. Where all this leads is outlined in a global market analysis by CEO Sven Bauer of BMZ GmbH (see photo), Europe biggest battery maker. 

Currently the world’s e-bike sector takes up about 10% of all battery cells produced. Taking into account the fact that Bosch recently said that it expects the e-bike market to have tripled by 2020, the demand for cells used in e-bike batteries will rise to 30%. Looking at the current market situation and taking into account the significance of the bicycle industry compared to that of the automotive sector, Bauer predicts a scenario of, “main suppliers of battery cells not being able to meet the demand. The smaller customers like e-bike manufacturers will be faced with shortages or even a stop of supplies.”