KATHMANDU: Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has overtaken South Korea’s LG Energy Solution to become the world leader in battery patent holdings, according to data from patent consulting firm PatSnap.
The data, released on October 6, covers the period from October 2016 to September 2026. CATL holds 26,574 simple patent families, compared with 22,597 held by LG Energy Solution.
The latest figures highlight China’s growing role in battery technology after decades of leadership by Japanese and South Korean companies. Panasonic has also fallen out of the global top 10, while Toyota remains the only Japanese company on the list.
According to PatSnap, CATL holds a total of 27,402 battery patents. Of these, 16,722 were filed in the past three years, accounting for 61% of its total. The company has invested more than USD 14.9 billion in research and development, according to CATL.
CATL holds 19,539 power battery patents, 2.2 times the number held by the second-ranked domestic competitor. In the past three years, it filed 12,084 patents in this category, compared with 4,384 by the runner-up.
Power batteries are a key area of competition among manufacturers as demand for electric vehicles continues to grow.
CATL also leads in solid-state battery patents, holding 3,538. This is more than twice the total of the second-ranked domestic competitor.
The company recorded 2,763 solid-state battery patents over the past three years, compared with a combined 2,891 for companies ranked second through tenth in China.
Solid-state batteries are considered a potential next-generation technology because they could offer improvements in energy density, safety and charging performance. However, large-scale commercialization remains a challenge for the industry.
