East and Northeast Asia plays a dominant role in the global supply of EV-use batteries. Six out of the top 10 battery manufacturers in 2021 are from China or related to it. China-based CATL is the world-leading battery giant with its installed volume of far exceeding those of competitors from South Korea and Japan. But South Korea is determined to overtake China. South Korea unveiled an ambitious plan in July 2021 to invest more than US$35 billion in its EV battery sector by 2030 - a policy that has come to be known as the "K-battery" strategy. Its three main EV battery manufacturers, LG Energy Solution (LGES), Samsung SDI, and SK Innovation, are all planning for production expansion in 2022.

In Japan, where EV development had been much ignored, the government is now as determined as its neighboring countries in exerting a strong presence in the EV market. Panasonic, who supplies batteries to Tesla, is currently the only significant Japanese player in the global battery sector. But more than 50 Japan-based enterprises have established the Battery Association for Supply Chain (BASC) to beef up country’s battery production.