According to data released on October 6 by the IP consulting firm PatSnap’s global patent database, battery giant CATL has officially surpassed LG Energy Solution to become the global leader in battery patent holdings, as reported by ChinaNews.

The statistics, covering the period from October 2016 to September 2026, show that CATL holds 26,574 simple patent families, leading LG Energy Solution (22,597) by approximately 3,900 patents. This milestone marks a shift in the global battery industry, as the centre of innovation moves from Japan and South Korea to China after a decade of rapid development.

“Simple patent families” consolidate identical core inventions filed in different countries or regions into a single count, providing a more accurate reflection of a company’s true technological innovation volume.

For decades, the global battery patent landscape was dominated by Japanese and Korean firms. However, the latest rankings show a clear transition: LG Energy Solution has slipped to second place, while Panasonic has fallen out of the top ten with only 4,994 patents. Toyota remains the only Japanese company in the top ten. According to CATL, it has spent over 100 billion yuan (14.9 billion USD) in cumulative R&D investment.

CATL’s innovation pace is accelerating. PatSnap data indicates that CATL holds a total of 27,402 battery patents, with 16,722 of those filed in the last three years alone. This represents 61.0% of its historical total, the highest three-year growth ratio among leading domestic companies. Specifically, 61.8% of its power battery patents and 78.1% of its solid-state battery patents were filed within the last three years, both ranking first in China.

In the power battery sector – the industry’s primary battlefield – CATL holds 19,539 total patents, 2.2 times that of the second-ranked domestic competitor. When looking at the last three years, CATL filed 12,084 patents compared to 4,384 by the runner-up. The 12,084 power battery patents nearly equal the combined total of 14,500 patents from the second through fifth-ranked domestic companies.

Solid-state batteries are widely considered the key to next-generation technology. In this field, CATL holds 3,538 patents, more than double the second-ranked domestic competitor. CATL has maintained the top position across all time windows, with 3,511 patents over the last decade and 2,763 in the last three years. In the last three years, CATL’s 2,763 patents nearly match the combined total of 2,891 patents from the second- through tenth-ranked domestic companies.