May 2026 China power battery installation rankings are released. CATL leads with 45.2% share, BYD ranks second at 27.8%, and CALB third at 9.1%. LFP battery installation share broke 75%, while ternary lithium share further contracted to 23%. Industry CR3 concentration reached 82.1%, with head effect continuing to strengthen.
May Installation Rankings: Three-Pillar Structure Stable
In May 2026, China's total power battery installation reached 38.6 GWh, up 28% year-over-year and 12% month-over-month. Top 10 rankings and shares:
| Rank | Company | Installation(GWh) | Market Share | MoM Change | Tech Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CATL | 17.45 | 45.2% | +2.1pp | LFP + Ternary |
| 2 | BYD | 10.73 | 27.8% | -1.3pp | LFP (Blade) |
| 3 | CALB | 3.51 | 9.1% | +0.8pp | LFP + Ternary |
| 4 | Gotion | 1.93 | 5.0% | +0.3pp | LFP + Ternary |
| 5 | EVE | 1.35 | 3.5% | -0.2pp | LFP + Ternary |
| 6 | Svolt | 1.16 | 3.0% | +0.1pp | LFP + Cobalt-free |
| 7 | Sunwoda | 0.77 | 2.0% | -0.1pp | LFP + Ternary |
| 8 | Farasis | 0.54 | 1.4% | +0.2pp | Ternary (Pouch) |
| 9 | REPT | 0.46 | 1.2% | -0.1pp | LFP |
| 10 | Zhenli | 0.31 | 0.8% | +0.1pp | LFP |
CATL's May installation grew 18% MoM, mainly benefiting from Tesla Model 3 refresh and Li Auto L series EREV battery order growth. BYD's share dropped 1.3 percentage points MoM because its external battery supply ratio remains low, primarily serving self-production.
LFP vs Ternary: Tech Route Competition
May LFP battery installation reached 29.0 GWh, share 75.1%, a historic high. Ternary lithium installation was 8.9 GWh, share 23.0%, continuing to shrink.
Reasons for tech route divergence:
- Cost advantage: LFP material costs are 25-30% lower than ternary, highly competitive in the 150k-250k yuan mainstream segment
- Safety: LFP thermal runaway temperature is 500℃, far higher than ternary's 200-300℃
- Energy density gap narrowing: LFP system energy density reached 160-180Wh/kg, approaching ternary's 180-220Wh/kg
But ternary still has specific advantage scenarios:
- Premium models: Above 300k yuan vehicles still prefer ternary, pursuing 600km+ range
- Low-temp performance: Ternary maintains 70% capacity at -20℃, while LFP only 55%
- Fast charging: Ternary supports 4C fast charging, while LFP mainstream is 2-3C
Market Implications and Concentration Trends
Industry concentration indicators continue rising:
- CR3: CATL + BYD + CALB = 82.1%
- CR5: Top 5 combined = 90.6%
- CR10: Top 10 combined = 99.0%
This means:
- Second-tier companies (Gotion, EVE, Svolt) face compressed survival space, must find differentiated routes
- CALB as the third pole, achieved 9.1% share through high-density LFP technology, fastest-growing among Top 3
- Overseas OEMs purchasing batteries in China have highly concentrated supplier options, limited bargaining power
For Central Asia and Russia, LFP's high safety and low cost are core selling points. But ternary's low-temperature advantage in extreme cold cannot be ignored. EX1000.COM recommends that vehicles targeting the Russian market adopt a dual LFP + Ternary version strategy, letting consumers choose based on usage scenarios.
