[Lead-acid Battery Market Dynamics] It is reported that Tianneng Group Guizhou Energy Technology Co., Ltd., located in the Taijiang Economic Development Zone in Guizhou, according to Pang Mingduo, Deputy General Manager of the company: "Currently, the automation rate of the factory's production lines has reached 95%, and capacity has doubled compared to the initial stage. Daily production of new energy batteries has surged from 40,000 units to 135,000 units. Every year, 40,000 mt of waste batteries are recycled and handed over to Guizhou Qizhen Industrial Group Co., Ltd. for processing. The secondary lead they produce can meet 70% of Tianneng's raw material needs."

On April 16, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., Ltd. released its first quarter report for 2026. During the reporting period, Huayou Cobalt achieved operating revenue of 25.804 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 44.62%; total profit of 3.692 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 100.49%; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company of 2.497 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 99.45%; and net profit after deducting non-recurring gains and losses of 2.070 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 68.76%. As of the end of the first quarter, Huayou Cobalt's total assets reached 174.669 billion yuan, an increase of 9.55% compared to the end of the previous year.

AEMC has entered into cooperation arrangements with RecycLiCo Battery Materials and Lucid to support hydrometallurgical testing and explore a more integrated domestic nickel supply chain in the United States. If successful, the project’s downstream refining potential could further enhance its strategic value.

According to ESG News, on April 15 (local time), the two companies announced a partnership to deploy an energy storage system (ESS) using second-life battery packs at Rivian Normal Manufacturing Plant. The project will utilize more than 100 used battery packs from Rivian, with an initial dispatchable capacity of 10 megawatt-hours (MWh).

This week, the e-bike and automotive battery replacement market was in a traditional off-season state. Dealers only purchased as needed, and some enterprises reported weakening orders and reduced production. In terms of battery selling prices, there were no sales promotions as typically seen during the off-season in previous years, mainly due to rising raw material costs. Apart from rising lead prices, prices of other auxiliary materials also trended upward. In particular, sulphuric acid prices surged significantly since late March, with smelting-grade sulphuric acid prices rising by over 50%, and quotes in some regions approaching 2,000 yuan/mt. In addition, lead prices fell first and then rose this week. At the beginning of the week, downstream enterprises purchased as needed on dips, and market transactions were moderate. In the second half of the week, lead prices rose, and most downstream enterprises adopted a wait-and-see approach with cautious purchasing, with spot market transactions remaining sluggish.

According to SMM, from April 10 to April 16, 2026, the weekly comprehensive operating rate of lead-acid battery enterprises across five provinces was 69.66%, up 2.38 percentage points WoW. With the impact of the Qingming Festival holiday dissipating, lead-acid battery enterprises gradually resumed production this week. However, as the end-use market was in the traditional consumption off-season, battery orders at some enterprises weakened, and they once again lowered their production line operating rates. Therefore, the weekly operating rate of lead-acid batteries recovered somewhat this week but remained difficult to restore to pre-holiday levels. Currently, battery markets for e-bikes, automobiles, and other sectors are all in the off-season, with dealers purchasing cautiously. To ease inventory pressure, most producers adopted a produce-based-on-sales approach and scaled back production plans. If orders continue to remain sluggish going forward, some enterprises will consider further production cuts.