This seventh-edition report, “Battery Packs for Portable Electronic Devices” provides detailed, quantitative forecasts for near-term and longer-term growth for this important market. The addition of new power architectures, smaller form factors, more efficient designs and improved power management technology, combined with growing demand in a variety of applications ranging from power tools to tablet computers is expected to create new opportunities. Made up of the communications, computer, consumer, portable medical and portable military segments, the battery packs industry will experience a number of significant opportunities over the forecast period, as manufacturers scramble to produce products designed for the latest demanding applications. Topics include:
Emerging Trends and Developments
Potential Competition and Threats
Ongoing Developments in Lithium Battery Chemistry
Safety and Regulatory Issues
Transportation Issues
Forecast Assumptions
Pricing Background
Forecasts by Application
Forecasts by Application Sub-Segments
Forecasts by Chemistry
Forecasts by Chemistry and Application
Forecasts by Application and Chemistry
Competitive Environment
Executive Summary
The Worldwide Power Packs for Portable Electronic Devices market is projected to see substantial growth over the next five years. The addition of new power architectures, smaller form factors, more efficient designs and improved power management technology, combined with growing demand in a variety of applications ranging from power tools to small electronic devices is expected to create new opportunities. Made up of the communications, computer, consumer, portable medical and portable military segments, the battery packs industry will experience a number of significant opportunities over the forecast period, as manufacturers scramble to produce products designed for the latest demanding applications.
Although the forecasts presented in this report include both NiMH and NiCd chemistries, the focus is heavy on Lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology, which is expected to make up about 95.0% of both unit and dollar market over the forecast period. Lithium has emerged as the preferred choice for consumer electronic products such as laptops, mobile phones, MP3 players, GPS, ebooks and other portable devices. In fact, as this report will detail, additional applications including as power tools, medical, and military equipment are increasingly transitioning to Li-ion technology.
The portable power battery pack forecasts presented in this year’s edition are based on a detailed and quantitative analysis of 20 applications divided among five categories. Our forecasts show that the worldwide battery power pack market is expected to grow from 2.5 billion units in 2012 to 4.1 billion units in 2017. Driven by all five segments, especially the large communications segment, it is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.2%. The dollar market will grow at a somewhat slower pace, at a CAGR of 9.1%. The larger and more expensive batteries in the computer segment are expected to fuel this growth, which is projected to increase from $13.8 billion in 2012 to $21.3 billion in 2017.
In an effort to more accurately reflect recent updates in consumer preferences, regulation, advancements in technology and preferences in battery chemistry, a number of important changes have been made since the last edition. Among them are the addition of several new applications and the elimination of others. New applications that have been added to the forecast include tablet computers (which, due to significant growth potential and unique functional characteristics, were taken out of the traditional notebook category and put into their own category), ultra books, pico projectors, ebooks, universal battery packs, gaming devices and portable military.
The communications segment is expected to maintain the largest unit market over the forecast period. Smart phones and their applications are projected to be the catalyst behind the growth in this segment. In 2012, just over one-third of all the devices sold are projected to be smartphones, which continue to grow well even as the overall market (which includes feature phones) slows down. Despite the high degree of commoditization of the battery industry in this segment, it will record the second largest dollar market and will present a significant opportunity.
The computer segment will record the second-largest unit market and the largest dollar market covered in this report. Fueled primarily by the sales of notebook computers and tablets, the unit market for this segment is also projected to see the highest rate of growth among application categories. As both notebook computers and tablets continue to become functionally richer, their demand for power and runtime increases and they require larger and more expensive power supplies.
The consumer segment has the largest number of applications with eleven, with several new promising applications including ebooks, pico projectors and universal battery packs. In contrast to the unit market, which includes a large number of similar sized applications, the dollar market will be dominated by two applications, digital cameras and power tools, making up over 60.0% of the dollar market over the forecast period.
The portable medical device market is one of the smaller segments covered in this report. Despite its size, it will remain one of the more promising markets for the battery packs industry. Traditionally, the low volumes of medical device sales have often deterred companies from entering the medical power supply market, particularly with the large number of regulatory hurdles involved. However, the evolution of the market toward home-based, consumer products is expected to change this landscape. Over the forecast period and beyond, the number of applications using portable medical devices is expected to continue growing. As they do, they take on larger and more complicated tasks, many of which require larger and more expensive batteries, further expanding the opportunities for manufacturers.
The Portable Military market is one the new applications in this report. Like the Medical sector described above, the portable military sector must meet and comply with a number of strict standards and regulations that do not typically apply to other applications, and due to the rigorous design specifications and barriers to entry, the market is expected to remain challenging. In addition, government defense contracts are competitive, and companies often need the reputation and experienced track records to successfully procure military projects. This section is unique in that it is one of the few areas where traditional NiCd technology is expected to continue to play a significant role. However, It will remain one of the smaller markets covered in this report and will not offer the number of opportunities as the other applications
There are four different chemistry types covered in this report: Lithium-ion (Li-ion), Lithium Polymer (Li-polymer), Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) and nickel–cadmium (NiCd). These are the four main chemistry types that dominate today’s portable battery pack market. Of these, Li-ion is expected to make up the largest number of battery packs over the forecast period, while Li-polymer, fueled by the growing demand for increased energy density and thin form factor necessary for today’s electronic devices, is projected to be the fastest growing over the forecast period. Growth in the NiCd sector is expected to be extremely modest, while the NiMh sector will see a decline in both unit and dollar market.
Encouraged by the success of Li-ion technology, there are a number of variations of the basic lithium chemistry including Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum, Lithium Sulfur and others that are in development for specific applications. Although many of these chemistries are not specifically designed for portable power devices, ongoing research and development in these areas may allow their use or have implications for portable electronics applications in the future.
Although lithium-ion continues to gain ground in a number of applications, other technologies such as ultra-capacitors, fuel cells and thin film batteries are considered to be potential long-term alternatives to standard lithium-ion battery packs. Each of these technologies has its advantages which include: quick surges of power with thousands of life cycles, greater energy density and much smaller form factors combined with higher energy storage capacity. Although each of these technologies is either relatively new or still early in the commercial stages of development, they are expected to have an impact the battery packs industry over the coming years.
The manufacture and transportation of lithium batteries also presents a number of regulatory and safety issues. In order to address some of the safety risks associated with the use of lithium batteries, a number of standards and testing protocols, developed by a variety of public and private organizations, have been developed to provide manufacturers with guidance on how to more safely construct and use lithium-ion batteries. The product safety standards presented in this report have been developed through a consensus process, relying on participation by representatives from regulatory bodies, manufacturers, industry groups, consumer advocacy organizations, insurance companies and other key safety stakeholders.
This report will only look at the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) market, and will not include the battery pack replacement market. The market figures presented will be based on the cost of power packs to OEMs, not to end users. Over 60 tables, graphs and illustrations are presented in this report covering the worldwide battery packs market for twenty applications. The focus of this comprehensive analysis will be to provide decision makers with a detailed and insightful look at the current and future opportunities available in the portable power battery packs market.
Companies Mentioned
3M
A123 Systems
Alexander Technologies
Amazon
Anton Bauer
Apple
Argonne National Laboratory
Barnes and Noble
BYD Company
China BAK
China Sun Group
COBY
Cornell
Dubilier Electronics
Cymbet Corporation
Eagle Pitcher Technologies
Electrochem Solutions
Electrovaya Inc.
Energizer
E-One Moli Energy
Federal Aviation Administration
Ford
General Motors
Honeywell
Hewlett Packard
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies
Hyundai
Infinite Power Solutions
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Intel
International Civil Aviation Association
International Electrotechnical Commission
Ioxus
Japanese Standards Association
K2 Energy
Leyden Energy Inc.
LG Chem
Linear Technology Corp.
Lockheed Martin
Matsushita Battery Industrial Company
Maxwell Technologies
Microsoft
Mikita
Motorola
NASA Johnson Space Center
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
Nintendo
Nokia
Oakridge National Laboratory
Panasonic Corp.
Planar Energy Devices
PowerGen
Powermat Technologies
Rechargeable Battery Association
Renault
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rice University
Saft
Samsung SDI
Sanyo
Sony
TE Connectivity
Texas Instruments
Toshiba
Toyota Motors
UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
Underwriters Laboratory
Uniross Batteries
US Consumer Protection Agency
US Department of Defense
US Department of Transportation
US Postal Service
Valence Technology
Varta Microbattery
Volvo
Wal-Mart
ZMDI
For further information, please visit : Power Packs for Portable Electronic Devices: Worldwide Forecasts, Applications, Chemistries, Threats and Competitive Environment
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