Next-generation lithium batteries: Correlation
Prices it moves with, and why
Next-generation lithium cells, including solid-state, silicon-anode and lithium-sulphur designs, are mostly at pilot scale. Their eventual price depends on lithium metal, solid electrolytes, silicon and sulphur, and above all on reaching high manufacturing yields.
Proxy US PPI: storage batteries excl. lead-acid index · monthly, Jan 2006 to Sep 2026There is no free public price for next-generation lithium batteries itself, so this tab uses the closest public series as a stand-in. Read the numbers as an indication, not as the price of this exact item.
What its price moves with
Selected linkNext-generation lithium batteries and Sulfur
Monthly changes -0.01 little or none correlation 12-month changes 0.39 weak correlation Last 5 years -0.12 monthly changes Lead or lag −1 mo Next-generation lithium batteries tends to lead by 1 month (r 0.12) Price function, Jan 2006 to Sep 2026 Next-generation lithium batteries ≈ 44.6 × (Sulfur)0.30 R² 0.17 On this fit, a 10% higher sulfur price goes with a 2.9% higher next-generation lithium batteries price over the long run. Units: index and index, BLS base period. The fit is loose, so treat the function as a rough guide.Chart: Next-generation lithium batteries and Sulfur prices rebased to 100 at Jan 2006, log scale
Both prices rebased to 100 at Jan 2006, on a log scale so equal percentage moves look the same size.Chart: Next-generation lithium batteries price against Sulfur price, monthly, log scales, with fitted line
Each dot is one month; paler dots are older (2006), darker dots recent (2026); the ringed dot is the latest month. The dashed line is the fitted price function. Both axes are logarithmic.Solid-state and lithium-sulphur cells often use lithium metal anodes, which need more lithium per cell than graphite designs. That would raise lithium demand and exposure to its volatile price, which the site cannot chart.
Not enough overlapping price history to measure.Solid-state cells replace liquid electrolyte with sulphide, oxide or polymer solid electrolytes. These materials are made in small volumes and are costly, and cutting their cost is central to commercial success.
Not enough overlapping price history to measure.Silicon holds far more lithium than graphite, so silicon-carbon anodes raise energy density. Their cost depends on silicon production and nanostructuring methods, which are still scaling up from pilot lines.
Not enough overlapping price history to measure.Lithium-sulphur cells use sulphur, a cheap refinery by-product, as the cathode. The sulphuric acid proxy shows no link to the battery proxy, with monthly moves at -0.01, because these cells are not yet in volume production.
little or none co-movement month to month · 220 months Show chartsSilicon and lithium metal anodes would reduce graphite use per cell. The graphite proxy shows no link to the battery proxy, with monthly moves at 0.03, as it covers mostly electrodes for steel furnaces rather than battery anodes.
little or none co-movement month to month · 243 months Show chartsNext-generation cells must beat nickel-rich lithium-ion on cost and energy, and the incumbent keeps improving through better cathodes and larger factories. The site uses the same battery index for both, so no separate statistics are shown.
Not enough overlapping price history to measure.How to read these numbers
Correlation of monthly changes (the number in the coloured pill) compares how much each price moved, month by month, since 2006 or the first month both series exist. It runs from −1 to +1: near +1 the two usually rise and fall in the same months, near 0 there is no link, and a negative number means they tend to move in opposite directions. Above 0.7 is strong, 0.4 to 0.7 moderate, 0.2 to 0.4 weak.
12-month changes compare year-on-year moves, which shows whether two prices share the same cycles even when the month-to-month noise differs.
Price function is a straight-line fit of the two prices on logarithmic scales: price ≈ k × (partner price)β. β is how much this price moves, in per cent, for a 1% move in the partner over the whole period, and R² is the share of the variation the fit explains. Two prices that both drift up with inflation can fit well without any real link, so read it together with the monthly correlation.
Lead or lag checks whether the monthly correlation is clearly higher when one price is shifted by 1 to 6 months.
Correlation is not cause. The reasons on each card explain the economic link; the numbers show how strongly it has shown up in prices. Proxy series are US producer price indexes or related prices and can blur the real link.
Data: World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet), October 2026; US Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price indexes, IMF primary commodity prices and US EIA prices via FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, retrieved November 2026. Calculations by this site.