EcoPro tops 300,000 tons in NCA cathode sales for EVs

Korea’s battery materials company EcoPro said Sunday that its cumulative sales of nickel-cobalt-aluminum cathode material have exceeded 300,000 tons.

According to the company, EcoPro reached this total in the first half of 2025, equivalent to the amount needed to produce roughly 3 million electric vehicles. Of this, 200,000 tons were sold since 2022, driven by rising demand for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

“We have focused on advancing NCA technology since the early days of our secondary battery business, with the view that the mid- and large-size rechargeable battery market for EVs and ESS will continue to grow, and that high-output NCA will become mainstream,” said an EcoPro official.

NCA batteries offer 20-30 percent higher energy density than standard nickel-cobalt-manganese materials, making them ideal for high-performance electric vehicles. However, their manufacturing process is complex, with high technical barriers and production costs.

Since it successfully commercialized high-nickel NCA cathode materials in 2008, with nickel making up over 80 percent of the composition, EcoPro has steadily improved the quality of its cathode materials. In the mid-2010s, the company partnered with Sony to provide long-term supply to the world’s then-leading battery-maker.

Now, EcoPro is upgrading its products in partnership with Samsung SDI, Korea’s leading battery cell maker. The companies develop NCA cathodes with higher nickel content of up to 95 percent to achieve even higher battery energy density.

“EcoPro’s history of developing NCA and maintaining competitiveness reflects the company’s ongoing challenge and innovation,” said the official.

“Having successfully localized NCA technology in partnership with Japan, the global leader in battery technology, we will continue to expand our market through a diversified portfolio, including energy storage systems.”