EV Batteries and Charging: LFP, Solid-State, CATL, LG — 2026-09-27

Top developments

Volkswagen delays $7B Ontario battery plant until 2029

PowerCo, Volkswagen's battery subsidiary, said this week that its St. Thomas, Ontario gigafactory will now begin operations in 2029 — two years later than originally planned — citing changing market conditions and next-generation battery technology. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday he is not worried about the delay, while commentary in the Toronto Sun argues the slower timeline could save taxpayers billions amid a cooling EV market.

August Chinese installation data: CATL first, but the duopoly loosens

Data from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance released this week showed August domestic power battery installations of 79 GWh, up 26.3% year over year. CATL led with 32.54 GWh (41.45% share) and BYD was second with 16.47 GWh, but second-tier makers — including CALB and EVE Energy, which entered the top four for the first time — are eroding the leaders' lock on the market. CPCA's Cui Dongshu noted combined battery production hit 237 GWh in August (+33% YoY) and 1,524 GWh for January–August (+32%), with LFP dominating installations.

Korea's big three battle in record 1.18 GW ESS tender

South Korea opened its third central ESS procurement round at a record 1.18 GW (1,100 MW onshore, 80 MW on Jeju) — roughly double the 565 MW of each prior round — drawing LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On into a heated order contest, with bids emphasizing domestic production and safety technology. Local media report LG Ensol must make up ground on SK On, while Samsung SDI defends its cumulative #1 position. LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are also estimated to hold over two years' worth of ESS order backlogs, boosted by U.S. policies excluding Chinese batteries.

CATL LFP cells pass 14-year aging test — and keep going

InsideEVs reported (18 hours ago) that CATL-supplied prismatic LFP cells from the world's first large-scale battery energy storage project have operated for 14 years without a single replacement and still have roughly a decade of life left. The result underlines LFP's durability and total-lifetime cost advantage for both storage and EV applications.

Solid-state mass production: CATL and BYD timing laid out

Chinese coverage detailing the solid-state ramp-up says CATL, with 2,000+ solid-state patents and the deepest sulfide-route portfolio, already mass-supplies semi-solid-state (condensed-matter) cells to NIO ET9 and plans tendering of solid-state production lines in 2026 with small-batch vehicle installation targeted for 2027 at 500+ Wh/kg. BYD and Ganfeng, Gotion and others are also competing for early 2026–2027 entry tickets, while Enjie has completed a high-purity lithium sulfide pilot line.

Local view

Korean outlets frame the ESS tender as a make-or-break round: Financial News called it the largest-ever government ESS bid and asked whether LG Energy Solution can "avenge" its earlier performance on home turf. Bloter noted the order-rank stakes — Samsung SDI and SK On must defend cumulative central-market #1 and #2, while LG eyes closing the gap with SK On. In China, Sina/Weibo discussion mourned CATL's market-cap damage — down over 35% (~700 billion yuan wiped) even after H1 net profit of 43.28 billion yuan — as automakers like Xiaomi and Li Auto pursue in-house batteries,=-=-or as AITO/other brands add second-tier suppliers, weakening "defaults" to CATL. With CATL's domestic passenger-car share across H1 2026 at 46.7% (up 5.6 pp), some Chinese commentators dismiss "de-CATLization" talk by citing Nielsen IQ brand-power indices where CATL leads at home (6.0) and abroad (3.9).

Context & numbers

August 2026 China domestic installations: 79 GWh (+26.3% YoY); CATL 32.54 GWh / 41.45%, BYD 16.47 GWh. China total battery production: 237 GWh in August (+33%), 1,524 GWh in Jan–Aug (+32%), and in August only 33% of production went into vehicles — capacity continues to outrun EV demand. SNE Research data cited by Chinese media puts global top-10 installations at 725.2 GWh with seven Chinese firms totaling 528.4 GWh — 72.9% of the top ten — and CATL alone at ~39.9% share (~300 GWh)._globenewswire research from Sept. 25 notes grid-scale stationary storage demand, LFP technology and policy support are driving adoption, with LG Energy Solution profiled among key players.

On the radar

• Tesla Semi: Electrek reported Sept. 25 that high-volume Semi production launched at a Nevada plant rated for 50,000 trucks/year using 4680 cells and a new drivetrain; watch early deliveries and fleet mileage data.
• CATL solid-state production-line tenders reportedly opening in 2026 with 2027 small-batch vehicle installs targeted at 500+ Wh/kg — watch for naming of line-equipment suppliers.
• Canada's St. Thomas PowerCo delay to 2029 will likely reshape upcoming federal/Ontario EV incentive negotiations; a formal inverter schedule from VW is not yet public.
• Korean ESS tender results from the 1.18 GW third central procurement round — expected within weeks — will set the pecking order among LG Ensol, Samsung SDI and SK On for the fiscal year.