China’s battery production is operating at a scale and sophistication the US can’t yet match. (Axios)
Entire “battery towns” hum with automated production lines—what one former US battery CEO described to Axios as “something out of science fiction.”
As the Trump administration rolls back EV and clean energy support, China is doubling down—tightening export controls on lithium and critical minerals while expanding its dominance across every layer of the supply chain.
Between the lines: This edge positions China as the geopolitical winner of the energy transition, shaping global pricing and innovation. US researchers still see hope in sodium-ion batteries as a cheaper, safer alternative, but even that frontier is being rapidly outpaced by Beijing’s manufacturing might.