Truck lithium batteries: the core force driving the transformation of green logistics

Against the background of the advancement of the global "double carbon" goal and the increasingly urgent demand for energy conservation and emission reduction in the transportation industry, heavy-duty trucks are the main source of carbon emissions and pollutant emissions, and electrification transformation has become an irreversible trend. As the core power source of new energy heavy trucks, truck lithium batteries are profoundly reshaping the logistics and transportation industry landscape with its technology iteration, performance upgrades and market penetration, injecting strong momentum into the development of green logistics.
1. Technical core: rigid performance requirements and technical routes in heavy-duty truck scenarios

There are essential differences between truck lithium batteries and passenger car batteries. Affected by the characteristics of heavy trucks such as high load capacity, complex working conditions, and high operating intensity, more stringent requirements are put forward for battery capacity, power, safety, cycle life and other indicators. As the core component of the three-electric system of electric heavy trucks, the power battery system is equivalent to the "fuel tank" of a traditional truck, directly determining the vehicle's power performance, endurance and operational reliability.

1. Core performance requirements

High capacity is the basic demand. The battery pack capacity of mainstream heavy-duty trucks is generally between 200-350kWh, and the capacity of long-distance trunk logistics models is upgraded to more than 500kWh to meet the demand for long-distance endurance. High power ensures the instant power output of heavy trucks in starting, climbing and other scenarios, and can cope with the challenges of complex road conditions. Long cycle life is the key to reducing operating costs. The high-intensity operation mode of commercial vehicles requires batteries to withstand thousands of charge and discharge cycles. The cycle life of some advanced products has exceeded 6,000 times, and the service life can reach 10 years. In addition, the working environment of heavy trucks is often accompanied by severe vibration and impact, which places extremely high requirements on the mechanical strength of the battery, the safety and reliability of the thermal management system and the battery management system (BMS). At the same time, high-power fast charging capability (above 350kW) has become an inevitable trend to improve operational efficiency.

2. Mainstream technology route pattern

The current truck lithium battery market is absolutely dominated by lithium iron phosphate (LFP), and the supporting proportion will exceed 98% in 2025. With its core advantages of strong thermal stability, long cycle life and controllable cost, lithium iron phosphate batteries perfectly meet the safety and life cycle cost requirements of commercial vehicles - its thermal runaway temperature can reach 350℃-500℃, it is not prone to fire and explosion in extreme cases, and the cost has been reduced to about 600 yuan/kWh, which is significantly lower than ternary lithium batteries.

Ternary lithium batteries have attracted attention in some scenarios due to their high energy density. However, they are limited by poor thermal stability, short cycle life and high cost. Currently, they are only used in a small number of special heavy-duty truck scenarios that are extremely sensitive to weight. As an upgrade route for lithium iron phosphate, lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP) is accelerating its penetration. By increasing the voltage platform from 3.4V to 4.1V, the energy density is increased by 15%-20%. At the same time, the battery life attenuation rate in a -20°C environment is reduced by 40%, effectively solving the pain points of use in northern areas. In addition, sodium-ion batteries, with their full temperature range adaptability and cost advantages, have begun to be implemented in segments such as heavy truck start-stop power supplies. The sodium-based 24V start-stop battery launched by CATL has a total life cycle cost that is 61% lower than that of lead-acid batteries.

3. Key technological innovation breakthroughs

Battery companies continue to break the performance bottleneck of heavy truck batteries through multi-dimensional technological innovation. In terms of integration technology, CTP (battery to package) and CTB (battery to body) technologies are widely used. Yiwei Lithium Energy uses global foaming + CTP technology to increase the stiffness of the battery pack by 15% and solve the problem of structural stress concentration. Its large square & CTB integration technology also shortens the battery pack installation time from 1 hour to 5 minutes, increasing production efficiency by 10 times. Thermal management technology has been continuously upgraded. Top-bottom liquid cooling technology can compress the temperature difference between the upper and lower batteries from 15°C to ≤5°C, effectively alleviating the problem of uneven thermal expansion and contraction of the battery core.

Intelligent management and fast charging technology have been advanced simultaneously. BMS, as the "brain" of the battery, can monitor voltage, current, temperature and other parameters in real time. Through intelligent algorithm optimization, it can achieve "0" attenuation in the first year and increase low-temperature battery life by 18%. Fast charging capabilities continue to break through. CATL's second-generation Shenxing supercharged battery achieves a 12C charging rate and can charge the battery from 5% to 80% in 15 minutes. The maximum power of the supercharging pile has reached 1.5 megawatts, which can replenish about 20 kilowatt hours of electricity per minute, significantly shortening the recharge time.

2. Market structure: explosive growth in penetration rate, 100 GWh level track taking shape

Benefiting from policy support, outstanding economics and improved technological maturity, the new energy heavy truck market has experienced explosive growth, directly driving the surge in demand for truck lithium batteries and accelerating the formation of a huge market of hundreds of GWh. In November 2025, the monthly sales of new energy heavy trucks reached 28,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 178%, and the market penetration rate exceeded the 30% mark for the first time to 36.45%, marking the entry of heavy truck electrification into the stage of large-scale growth from the introduction period.

1. Core driving force for market growth

The continued release of policy dividends has become an important driver. In 2025, the Ministry of Transport and other three departments will introduce a scrapping and updating policy for old trucks. Owners who scrap old heavy trucks in advance and replace them with new energy models will be given a subsidy of up to 140,000 yuan, directly stimulating market demand. The economic advantages are further highlighted. The energy cost of new energy heavy trucks is only 20%-30% of that of traditional heavy trucks. A heavy truck with a load of 60 tons in battery-swap mode can save approximately 800,000 yuan in fuel costs per year by driving 500 kilometers per day, significantly reducing the operating costs of logistics companies. Technological breakthroughs have solved core pain points. Currently, the energy density of heavy truck battery cells has exceeded 220Wh/kg and can support a cruising range of up to 800 kilometers. The maturity of fast charging technology has effectively alleviated battery life anxiety and energy replenishment problems.

2. Demand scale and structural characteristics

The installed capacity of new energy heavy truck batteries has reached 70-80GWh in 2025, with a year-on-year growth rate of over 180%. It is expected to exceed 120GWh in 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of over 50%, and a growth rate that far exceeds the overall new energy vehicle market. Battery capacity shows an obvious trend of increasing capacity. The proportion of models with a capacity of 400kWh or above has soared from less than 10% in 2024 to 51% in 2025. The popularity of models with a capacity of 600kWh or above is accelerating, reflecting the rising market demand for long battery life.

The battery demand in different application scenarios shows differentiated characteristics: urban distribution scenarios account for the highest proportion (35%), corresponding to battery capacity of 300-500kWh, and charging mode is the main mode; port transportation scenarios account for 25%, and the main models are tractors, with battery capacities of 400-600kW h, the battery swap mode is widely used; mining operation scenarios account for 20%, which need to meet heavy load requirements, and the battery capacity reaches 500-800kWh; long-distance trunk line scenarios account for 15%, but have extremely high battery life requirements, and the battery capacity is generally 600-1000kWh, and there is a strong demand for overcharging.

3. Enterprise competition landscape

Leading battery companies rely on their technological accumulation and production capacity advantages to occupy a dominant position in the market. CATL's heavy-duty truck battery orders in 2025 will exceed 20GWh, and the schedule has reached the second quarter of 2026; EV Lithium has been deeply involved in the commercial vehicle field for ten years, serving more than 80% of the leading OEMs, and its heavy-duty truck battery market share ranks second in the country. It has built a full-scenario product matrix through the six core technologies of open source batteries, covering 332-842 kilowatt-hours of electricity demand. Companies such as Guoxuan Hi-Tech and Honeycomb Energy are also accelerating their deployment, with their installed vehicle volumes increasing by more than 500% year-on-year, and market competition becoming increasingly fierce. At the same time, battery companies are deeply bound to OEMs to form a collaborative development ecosystem. Leading OEMs such as Dongfeng Motors, Sany Heavy Industry, and FAW Jiefang have established long-term cooperative relationships with core battery companies.

3. Scenario Adaptation: Empowerment and Value Upgrading in All Fields

The application of truck lithium batteries has extended from single power supply to multi-scenario customized solutions, which not only meets the operational needs of different working conditions, but also achieves a comprehensive upgrade of user value. From light trucks to heavy-duty tractors, from urban distribution to mining operations, the adaptability of lithium battery technology continues to improve, becoming the "green heart" of all aspects of logistics and transportation.

1. Scenario application for commercial vehicle owners

In fixed-route scenarios such as urban distribution and port transportation, the combination of battery swap mode and lithium batteries greatly improves operational efficiency. The battery load of battery swap heavy trucks from January to June was approximately 9.8GWh, and the average load per vehicle was 393kWh. The "separation of vehicle and electricity" reduces vehicle purchase costs and shortens the energy replenishment time to a few minutes. In harsh scenarios such as mining and engineering construction, the high reliability and strong protection capabilities of lithium batteries are highlighted. Innovative solutions such as steel shield safety technology build protection systems that are higher than regulatory standards to ensure the safe operation of vehicles in extreme environments such as vibration and impact.

2. Expansion of auxiliary power supply scenarios

In addition to power supply, lithium batteries are also increasingly used in the field of truck auxiliary power supply. The 24V 200Ah lithium iron phosphate battery pack gradually replaces the traditional lead-acid battery and is used for vehicle starting, parking air conditioner power supply and vehicle electrical appliance support. Its weight is only 1/3 of a lead-acid battery, and its cycle life is 5-7 years, which is 5 times that of a lead-acid battery. It can support the operation of the parking air conditioner for 8-10 hours, significantly improving driving comfort. At the same time, the intelligent BMS system provides 20 protection functions, supports remote monitoring and OTA upgrades, and realizes real-time management and control of battery status.

3. New value of cross-border collaboration

Truck lithium batteries are forming in-depth synergy with the energy storage industry, opening up new value space. Through battery swapping mode, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and echelon utilization, heavy-duty truck batteries are not only vehicle power sources, but also an important component of new power systems. Retired heavy-duty truck batteries are used in energy storage power stations in stages, and the remaining capacity can still meet energy storage needs, greatly increasing the value of the battery throughout its life cycle and promoting the formation of a "vehicle-storage-grid" coordinated energy ecosystem.

4. Future trends: technological iteration and ecological reconstruction in parallel

Looking to the future, the truck lithium battery industry will move towards a higher quality development stage driven by technological innovation, model change and ecological synergy. In 2026, the sales volume of new energy heavy trucks is expected to exceed 400,000 units, with a penetration rate of 35-40%, driving the demand for batteries to continue to rise. At the same time, the technical route will show diversified development, and the scene adaptability will be further enhanced.

At the technical level, lithium iron phosphate will continue to improve performance through material improvement and integration optimization, lithium iron manganese phosphate will accelerate large-scale application, and sodium-ion batteries and solid-state batteries will gradually break through the bottleneck of industrialization, forming a complementary pattern of multiple technical routes. Fast charging and battery swapping technologies will be further integrated, the layout of supercharging networks and battery swapping stations will continue to improve, and energy replenishment efficiency and convenience will continue to improve. At the ecological level, battery companies, OEMs, and energy service providers will collaborate more closely, the service system built around the full life cycle of batteries will become increasingly complete, and the tiered utilization and recycling system will gradually improve, promoting closed-loop development of the industry.

As the core support for green logistics transformation, truck lithium batteries are not only the growth engine of the new energy heavy truck industry, but will also play an increasingly important role in the global energy transformation wave, providing a solid guarantee for the transportation industry to achieve the "double carbon" goal.