The global lithium battery landscape is undergoing changes, and the bankruptcy of Northvolt has triggered a chain reaction in the industry
In 2025, Northvolt, Europe's largest battery manufacturer, filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States due to the rapid depletion of funds and the cancellation of orders by BMW. Northvolt was once regarded as the "hope of European lithium batteries" and received support from Volkswagen, Goldman Sachs and others. Its bankruptcy exposed problems such as slow technology transformation, weak cost control and weak market competition in the European lithium battery industry. This incident has triggered a chain reaction in the industry. On the one hand, it has created market space for Chinese lithium battery enterprises to expand overseas and accelerated the global lithium battery industry pattern to tilt towards China. On the other hand, it also warns global lithium battery enterprises that they need to strengthen the control of technology, cost and market risks, and reshape the competitive order of the international lithium battery industry.