Global Automotive 12V/48V Low-Voltage Lithium-ion Battery/Sodium-ion Battery Industry Research Report 2026: From Traditional 48V MHEVs to New Energy Vehicle 48V PND (Low-voltage Power Supply Network)
Dublin, May 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Automotive 12V/48V Low-Voltage Lithium-ion Battery/Sodium-ion Battery Industry Research Report, 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
Research on 12V/48V Automotive Low-voltage Lithium-ion (sodium-ion) Batteries: Promoted by Regulations and Standardization, It is Imperative to "replace Lithium-ion (sodium-ion) Batteries with Lead-acid Batteries"
On the one hand, the automotive low-voltage power supply mainly provides power supply to the electrical equipment in the vehicle, including windows, lighting, lights, clusters and various controllers; on the other hand, it provides power supply to the engine starter. For vehicle models with different energy types, the role of 12V/48V automotive power supply will be slightly different, mainly depending on whether it needs to supply power to the engine starter and its charging method.
Batteries need to meet the content limits for harmful substances such as lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, cadmium and other harmful substances in Annex XVII of Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC).
In the EU New Battery Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, lead is one of the hazardous substances that are under key control. It has also been restricted in the EU Battery Directive 2006/66/EC, but it has not been completely banned. However, the Eu's requirements such as high proportion of recycled materials, recycling efficiency goals, Annex XVII of Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC) are actually forcing lead-containing batteries to gradually withdraw from the market. It will have an important impact on automobile 12V lead-acid battery starting batteries and gradually promote the use of 12V low-voltage lithium-ion batteries in cars.
The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) has launched "UNE EN IEC 63118-1:2024 12V rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for automotive starting, lighting, ignition (SLI) applications and auxiliary purposes - Part 1: General requirements and methods of test", which specifies the general tests and requirements for the performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries with a nominal voltage of 12V permanently installed on non-propulsion road vehicles. This document covers the replacement of non-propulsion secondary batteries permanently installed in road vehicles. The following are typical applications using batteries within the scope of this document: power supply for internal combustion engine starting, lighting, stop and start functions, automotive auxiliary equipment and energy absorption for brake regeneration.
China is also promoting the standardization of 12V low-voltage lithium-ion batteries. The recommended national standard "12V Rechargeable Lithium-ion Batteries for Automobile Starting, Lighting, Ignition (SLI) Applications and Auxiliary Purposes - Part 1: General Requirements and Test Methods" has been established, and the draft is scheduled to be completed in 2026. The standard is formulated to respond to the trend of new energy vehicles and smart connectivity, where 12V low-voltage lithium-ion battery systems will gradually replace traditional lead-acid batteries. Previously, OEMs had different technical standards. The introduction of this standard will unify industry norms, ensure product quality, and promote the healthy development of the low-voltage lithium-ion battery industry.
At present, CATL, BYD, EVE, Wanxiang A123, Zhuhai CosMX and other leading companies are deploying in the field of 12V lithium-ion batteries which are significantly lighter and smaller than lead-acid batteries, and require no maintenance for their entire lifespan. BYD has completely adopted LiFePO4 batteries for the starting batteries of plug-in hybrid vehicle models instead of lead-acid batteries. The Tesla Model S Plaid, the new Model X, the Chinese performance version of Model Y, etc. have also replaced 12V lead-acid batteries with 12V lithium-ion batteries.
Compared with lithium-ion batteries, the advantages of sodium-ion batteries include:
Abundant resources and low cost: Compared with the scarcity of lithium ions, sodium-ions have more abundant energy storage in earth crust elements, so the cost is low and can be a good supplement to lithium-ion batteries. In addition, the positive and negative electrodes of sodium-ion batteries are made of aluminum foil, which can further reduce costs;
Wide temperature resistance: high capacity retention rate in the temperature range of -40?~80?;
Fast charging and good rate capability: The same concentration of sodium-ion battery electrolyte has higher ion conductivity than lithium-ion battery electrolyte. At the same time, sodium-ions have lower solvation energy in polar solvents, giving them faster kinetic properties in the electrolyte and higher conductivity;
Ultra-long cycle: 20,000+ cycles have been achieved and 30,000+ cycles will be achieved in the future;
Safety: sodium-ion batteries can be stored and transported at zero voltage, with no transportation safety risks. In the event of a short circuit, they have little self-heating heat and no hidden dangers such as fire/explosion;
Production: they have similar working principles and material composition as lithium-ion batteries, and their production experience and equipment can be partially compatible.
The international standard for automotive start-stop sodium-ion batteries has been officially established, with Chinese companies taking the lead. On October 10, 2025, the IEC/TC21 International Conference on New Sodium-Ion Battery Standards was held in Wuhan, Hubei. This conference focused on the new international standard "12V sodium-ion batteries for automotive start-stop applications - Part 1: General requirements and experimental methods" proposed by Camel Group, Tianneng Battery, Jujiang Group, etc.
This is also the first China-led proposal for a 12V sodium-ion battery standard for automotive start-stop applications. The proposal has recently been voted by the member states of the International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee on Storage Cells and Batteries (IEC/TC21), and was unanimously approved by the 17 P member states (active members) who participated in the voting.
48V automotive low-voltage lithium-ion batteries: From traditional 48V mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs) to new energy vehicle 48V PND (low-voltage power supply network)
In MHEVs, the main low-voltage rails for powering the E/E systems still have 12V, requiring large bidirectional converters between the 48V and 12V rails, which significantly increases costs. In contrast, HEVs, PHEVs and BEVs can use high-voltage batteries to create 48V low-voltage rails to power the E/E systems.
Especially in today's electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles, there are more and more electrical loads ranging from hundreds to thousands of watts: from high-power air conditioners and heated seats to autonomous driving domain controllers and computing platforms. A 12V system not only has huge current, but also has thick and heavy wiring harnesses, and power consumption and costs are soaring. 48V PND reduces the current to a quarter under the same power, making the wire harness thinner, lighter and with lower loss. According to the P=UI principle, current reduction brings two major direct benefits - energy efficiency improvement and cost reduction.
New energy vehicles (BEVs) will further introduce 48V PND (low-voltage power supply network) and integrate with zonal architecture to ensure these increased power load requirements.
Regulations are one of the key factors driving 48V PND to scale. As the subsequent 48V PND standard, ISO 25769 is expected to be released around 2028. The standard is expected to reduce maximum voltage requirements, as well as transient voltage, make them more suitable for the working environment requirements of 48V domain controllers. The standard will also quickly promote the maturity of 48V architecture solutions.
In order to support the work of ISO/TC 22/SC 32 (Electrical and electronic components and general system aspects) which is the ISO sub-technical committee under Technical Committee 22 (Road vehicles), the 31st meeting of ISO/TC22/SC32/WG2 was successfully held in Tianjin from January 26 to 30, 2026. The meeting focused on the feedback from various countries about ISO/WD 25769 "Road vehicles - Electrical requirements and tests for electrical and electronic systems and components with a supply voltage of 12 V, 24 V and 48 V" in the WD phase. ISO/WD 25769 has 3 parts, among which
Currently, only Tesla has mass-produced 48V PND (low-voltage power supply network) globally at this stage, and Tesla's battery-electric pickup truck - Cybertruck has upgraded its auxiliary battery system from the original 12V to 48V.
The 48V low-voltage lithium-ion battery of Cybertruck is arranged in the middle area of the front cabin and is fixed to the vehicle through two bolts. The torque of the bolts is 8Nm.
The 48V lithium-ion battery is provided by Zhuhai CosMX. The 48V power supply uses 4Ah cells configured as 1P13S, with a rated voltage of 41.6V. This gives a nominal voltage of 3.2V per cell, indicating they are LiFePO4 cells.
Key Topics Covered:
1 Definition of Automotive Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Batteries/Sodium-Ion Batteries
1.1 Definition of Automotive Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Batteries/Sodium-Ion Batteries
1.2 Automotive Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery/Sodium-Ion Battery Market: Automotive Data Statistics And Forecast
1.2.1 OEM Market: Global and Chinese Passenger Car and New Energy Passenger Car Sales Volume Forecast
1.2.2 OEM Market: China's Commercial Vehicle and New Energy Commercial Vehicle Sales Volume Forecast
1.2.3 AM: China's Automotive AM and AM Low-Voltage Battery Capacity Forecast
2 Automotive Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery/Sodium-Ion Battery Market Segments and Product Solutions
2.1 Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery Market Segments (1): 12V lithium-ion batteries replace traditional 12V lead-acid batteries
2.2 Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery Market Segments (2): xEV 48V PDN (Low-Voltage Power Supply Network)
2.3 Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery Market Segments (3): 48V MHEVs
2.4 12/24V Low-Voltage Sodium-Ion Battery Market Segment
3 OEM Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery/Sodium-Ion Battery Installation Solutions
3.1 Summary of OEM Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery/Sodium-Ion Battery Installation Solutions
3.2 Tesla
3.3 BYD
3.4 ZEEKR
3.5 Xiaomi Auto
3.6 NIO
3.7 XPeng
3.9 Changan Automobile
3.10 Geely
3.11 Chery
3.12 Dongfeng Motor
3.13 Great Wall Motor
3.14 FAW Hongqi
3.15 Mercedes-Benz
3.16 BMW
3.17 Volvo
3.18 Lamborghini
3.19 GM
4 Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery/Sodium-Ion Battery Cell Suppliers
4.1 SEVB
4.2 CATL
4.3 FinDreams Battery (BYD)
4.4 Camel Group
4.5 Zhuhai CosMX
4.6 CALB
4.7 Gotion High-tech
4.8 EVE
4.9 Great Power
4.10 Wanxiang A123 Systems
4.11 Tianneng Battery
4.12 Sail Battery
4.13 Clarios
4.14 Skyrich Power
5 Low-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery/Sodium-Ion Battery System And Solution Providers
5.1 Jingwei Hirain Technologies
5.2 Bosch
5.3 FORVIA HELLA
5.4 FairBlu
5.5 G-Pulse
5.6 onsemi
5.7 NXP
5.8 Innoscience
5.9 Infineon
5.10 STMicroelectronics
5.12 Meraki Integrated
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