BOSTON, July 15,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the conception of
flexible battery technologies, suppliers have searched for strong
application markets for their products. In the last five years,
niches have finally begun to materialize, though the specific use
case depends on battery technology. Some of the earliest examples
of commercialized flexible batteries were thin-film solid-state
micro-power batteries that used the LiPON electrolyte
developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In the last decade,
other flexible battery options have been semi-commercialized,
including zinc-carbon, zinc-silver, and primary lithium
chemistries. Bulk solid-state and advanced lithium-ion technologies
are now also on the brink of commercialization, and opportunities
for their products are being searched for. IDTechEx's latest
report, "Flexible Batteries Market 2025-2035: Technologies,
Forecasts, and Players", includes an in-depth analysis of flexible
battery applications and technologies, as well as a market
valuation and a 10-year forecast.
Two broad categories of flexible battery technology can be
identified as lower and higher capacity. To the first belongs
thin-film and micro-battery technologies: zinc-carbon, zinc-silver,
primary lithium, and thin-film solid-state. Of these, zinc-carbon,
zinc-silver, and thin-film solid-state may be rechargeable or
non-rechargeable, while primary lithium is always non-rechargeable.
Printing is the most common manufacturing method for zinc
chemistries, while lithium chemistries use alternative
manufacturing methods such as sputtering. They are defined either
by their chemistry (zinc-carbon, zinc-silver, primary lithium) or
by their electrolyte (thin-film solid-state). All are expensive to
scale up in terms of size and capacity, and their areal energy
density is limited, making them best suited for micro-power
applications.
The second category includes advanced lithium-ion and bulk
solid-state technologies –the less mature flexible battery
technologies. Both are based on rechargeable lithium-ion
technologies. Advanced lithium-ion, in this case, describes a
battery structure that is similar in chemistry to traditional
lithium-ion cells but with innovations that enhance flexibility,
e.g., cell packaging or electrolyte. Both liquid electrolyte
batteries and semi-solid polymer electrolyte batteries can be
included in this category. Bulk solid-state describes a non-thin
battery with a solid-state electrolyte, though it need not be 100%
solid. Examples of solid-state electrolytes include ceramics and
sulfides.
The advantages of flexible batteries are self-evident. A battery
that can be rolled, stretched, and bent without losing
functionality could prove a significant advantage in the right use
case. However, flexible batteries are competing with significantly
cheaper traditional technologies such as coin cells. For
comparison, coin cells can be less than US$0.50/Wh, while the cheapest flexible battery
options are around US$3/Wh. In fact,
some technologies cost tens of dollars per Wh. In most use cases,
the price of flexible batteries is too high to warrant their use.
Instead, suppliers have needed to find niches where extreme
flexibility is required, and which are relatively
price-insensitive, high-end, specific form-factor applications.
Smart labels have become the primary niche for the first
category of low-capacity batteries. Thin batteries, usually
printed, are integrated into labels, tags, and sensors that are
used for quality control and logistics in industry settings. For
example, RFID tags with temperature sensors or chemical sensors are
used to monitor produce. The advantage of these tags is significant
– produce that would otherwise be lost in transit due to poor
temperature control can be saved, reducing waste. Other types of
smart labels are used to communicate the position and condition of
shipments. Not all smart labels use flexible batteries, however
increasingly flexible battery companies have targeted this
application. Thinness is the major driver of flexible battery
uptake in this instance. Thin labels require thin batteries, which
happen to be flexible. While flexibility is an advantage when the
label is applied to a curved or irregular surface, in most cases,
it is not a requirement. Zinergy and CCL Design (after the
acquisition of Imprint Energy) are two flexible battery players who
have increasingly targeted this niche. The flexible battery market
for smart labels and RFID tags is valued at US$14.3 million in 2025 and is expected to grow
with a CAGR of 23.9% over the next decade.
Meanwhile, companies supplying the second category of
higher-capacity batteries are increasingly focusing on wearables
applications. Wearables include a diverse range of products, from
hearables and smartwatches to XR headwear and e-textiles. Unlike
consumer electronics, products worn on the body frequently require
tailored form factors as they must be comfortable when worn. As a
result, wearables companies have shown interest in curved and
flexible battery options in the past as a means of removing
unnecessary bulk. However, the flexible batteries of the past were
unable to meet wearable product requirements for energy density and
lifetime. Only recently has flexible battery supply begun to align
with the demand for wearables.
Advanced lithium-ion and bulk solid-state flexible batteries
have begun to move from the development stage into
semi-commercialization, finally providing energy storage solutions
that can meet energy density and lifetime requirements while still
retaining a flexible form factor. Suppliers of both technologies
have targeted wearables opportunities, especially wrist-worn
wearables and electronic headwear. Low-end, mass-produced hearables
and wrist-worn wearables make up the largest proportion of the
overall wearables market but present no opportunity for flexible
batteries, and the high cost of flexible battery options cannot be
justified for low-cost, mass-produced products. However, the
wearables market still presents significant opportunities at the
high end. LiBEST, for example, is a Korean company that, since
2024, has focused on advanced lithium-ion batteries for XR headsets
and high-end hearables, where products are price-insensitive, and
bulkiness is not favored. The total wearables market for flexible
batteries (which includes skin patches) is valued at US$43.3 million in 2025 and is expected to grow
with a CAGR of 21.6% over the next decade.
The overall flexible battery market remains small, at just
US$71.7 million in 2025, compared to
a global lithium-ion battery market of over US$50 billion. IDTechEx's latest report,
"Flexible Batteries Market 2025-2035: Technologies, Forecasts, and
Players", discusses opportunities and growth for flexible battery
players over the next decade.
To find out more about this report, including downloadable
sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Flex.
For the full portfolio of energy storage and batteries market
research available from IDTechEx, please see
www.IDTechEx.com/Research/ES.
About IDTechEx
IDTechEx provides trusted independent research on emerging
technologies and their markets. Since 1999, we have been helping
our clients to understand new technologies, their supply chains,
market requirements, opportunities and forecasts. For more
information, contact research@IDTechEx.com or
visit www.IDTechEx.com.
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