In 2018, Tesla will complete its Nevada Gigafactory—the biggest battery factory the world has ever seen. But hot on Elon Musk’s heels are several Chinese who plan to provide almost 3.5 times more gigawatt-hours of battery cells a year than the Gigafactory by 2021, according to Bloomberg.
The Gigafactory expects to produce more lithium ion batteries annually than were produced worldwide in 2013 according to the Tesla website. The lithium ion batteries, most commonly used in personal electronic devices, will become essential as electric cars and renewable energy plants take over.
China already makes up 55% of global lithium-ion battery production according to Bloomberg, and by 2021 they are expected to hold 65% of all production. As renewable sources like wind and solar outpace coal, China has been pushing hard for clean energy. The country stepped up as an unlikely leader in the fight against global climate change as the United States pulled out of the Paris Accord in early June, according to The New York Times.