Signal Report states lithium-ion overtook nickel-based batteries in EV deployments in 2025

Summary

The report states that in 2025 lithium-ion batteries overtook traditional nickel-based batteries in global electric vehicle deployments for the first time. The figure appears in the everything-to-grid chapter, which argues that battery chemistry is the most consequential change enabling distributed storage. For two decades lithium-ion cells relied on cobalt and nickel, metals concentrated in a few countries and exposed to price swings and ethical controversy. Newer chemistries draw on widely available materials, and some charge faster, last longer or cost less. The milestone is used as evidence that the material constraints holding back grid-scale storage are finally easing. Cheaper and more abundant batteries in vehicles also expand the pool of assets that could feed power back to the grid.