Battery and lithium prices
The raw material and the finished pack, with what each means for the price of a car. Lithium carbonate: ¥98,300/t (2026-10-26, ≈ $14,743). Pack price: $108/kWh global average (BNEF 2025), $84 in China.
Lithium carbonate, China spot
| Date | ¥ per tonne | ≈ USD | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-26 | 98,300 | $14,743 | CarbonCredits live tracker (series unverified) |
| 2026-10-15 | 104,400 | $15,658 | SMM spot via The Elec; −14.7% in a week |
| 2026-10-14 | 107,000 | $16,048 | Mysteel evening assessment |
| 2026-10-12 | 108,890 | $16,331 | Guangzhou futures main contract close, −11.8% on the day |
| 2026-05-15 | 200,000 | $29,996 | Mid-May 2026 high (reports cite 'over 200,000') |
Converted at the ECB USD/CNY rate used by the EV Desk currency toggle.
Outlook: CITIC Securities: Q4 2026 range 100,000–150,000 yuan/t · Goldman Sachs: about 100,000 yuan/t in 2027, 84,000 in 2028.
Pack prices, BNEF 2025
| Segment | $/kWh | vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Global average, all segments | $108 | -8% |
| Battery-electric vehicle packs | $99 | — |
| China average | $84 | -13% |
| LFP packs (all segments, secondary summary) | $81 | — |
| Stationary storage | $70 | — |
| Lowest observed LFP (storage) | $50 | — |
BNEF's volume-weighted average in real 2025 dollars. 2022 was the only year prices rose (lithium spike); 2025 fell despite higher metal prices because of LFP share and Chinese overcapacity. Source: BloombergNEF 2025 Battery Price Survey (December 2025).
Pack price since 2013 $/kWh, real 2025 dollars
Down 86% in twelve years. Source: BloombergNEF annual surveys.
What a 60 kWh pack costs
| At | Pack cost |
|---|---|
| Global average, all segments ($108/kWh) | $6,480 |
| Battery-electric vehicle packs ($99/kWh) | $5,940 |
| China average ($84/kWh) | $5,040 |
| LFP packs (all segments, secondary summary) ($81/kWh) | $4,860 |
| Stationary storage ($70/kWh) | $4,200 |
What the pack costs in a 60 kWh car at each price, and what a 10,000-yuan move in lithium carbonate does (roughly 0.6–0.7 kg LCE per kWh of NMC, less for LFP).