Lithium ion batteries – we EV boosters love ‘em (though we wish they could be a bit lighter and a lot cheaper). EV party-poopers hate ‘em, telling anyone who will listen that they’re bound to explode, stop working after a year or two, or maybe even channel mind-controlling signals from hippy Communist aliens. Everyone agrees that they represent a critical bit of technology, so a new report from Pike Research should make interesting reading for automakers, parts suppliers, fleet managers, investors and anyone involved in the EV scene. 

The new paper offers detailed descriptions of 10 of the leading EV battery manufacturers, and rates each on 10 criteria, including vision, market strategy, partners, product quality and staying power. According to Pike, the li-ion world is currently led by Japanese and Korean companies with backgrounds in the consumer electronics market, but challengers from China and North America are slowly gaining. The market’s likely to be volatile in 2012, and some smaller companies will fail or be gobbled up.

…and the Top 10 are:

1. LG Chem
2. Johnson Controls
3. GS Yuasa
4. AESC
5. A123 Systems
6. Panasonic Group
7. SB LiMotive
8. Hitachi Vehicle Energy
9. BYD
10. Electrovaya

 Image: LG Chem