According to data from the China Automotive Technology and Research Center's compulsory traffic insurance database cited by Gaogong Industry Research Institute (GGII), new energy bus sales stood at around 50,000 units during 2021-2022, driven primarily by bus fleet renewals and a recovery in tourism-related passenger transport orders. In 2023, sales fell markedly as subsidy reductions combined with fiscal pressures led to procurement cutbacks. From 2024 to 2025, sales rebounded on the back of bus renewal policies, replacement of aging vehicles, and growing exports. In the first nine months of 2026, new energy bus sales totaled 27,000 units, reflecting a phased delivery rhythm, as domestic bus tender orders were largely concentrated in the second half of the year, while electrification penetration in tourism and intercity passenger transport remained relatively slow. Overall, the new energy bus market is policy-driven, with sales fluctuating in line with renewal cycles, fiscal conditions, and export momentum.
Competitive Landscape
GGII data shows that the new energy bus market in the first nine months of 2026 displayed a "one dominant player, multiple strong contenders" competitive pattern. Yutong Group held the top position with a 21.09% share, cementing its leadership. Geely Commercial Vehicles ranked second with 12.83%, showing notable growth. Xiamen King Long, Zhongtong Bus, CRRC Times, Xiamen Golden Dragon, Ankai Motors, Suzhou King Long, Foton Motor, and Sunwin Bus held relatively similar shares, forming a multi-player landscape in which companies compete in differentiated scenarios such as public transit, passenger transport, and overseas orders.
Battery Capacity per Vehicle
In terms of average battery capacity per new energy bus, the overall trend has been volatile but upward. A temporary decline occurred in 2023, mainly due to a sharp increase in the proportion of 6-7 meter model procurements that year. From 2024 onward, the figure gradually recovered and rose to 213.2kWh in the first nine months of 2026, reaching a new stage high. The continued increase in per-vehicle battery capacity stems from a rising share of tourism buses, intercity passenger transport, and overseas export orders, which has strengthened market demand for long range and high range redundancy, directly pushing up the battery configuration scale per vehicle.
Installation Volume
Battery installation volume for new energy buses shows clear cyclical characteristics in line with sales fluctuations. In the first nine months of 2026, installation volume reached 5.7GWh. Against the backdrop of阶段性 sales pressure, the increase in per-vehicle battery capacity offset some of the pressure from sales volume, as long-range models continued to raise the battery value per vehicle and are becoming a core driver of battery demand growth.
Battery Supplier Landscape
According to GGII data, competition among battery suppliers for new energy buses in the first nine months of 2026 was highly concentrated. CATL (300750.SZ) held an absolute dominant position with over 85% share, while EVE Energy (300014.SZ) and BYD (002594.SZ) ranked second and third, each capturing around 6% market share. Other battery makers each held 1% or less, with relatively small volumes. The new energy bus battery segment has high entry barriers, making its landscape more concentrated than other new energy commercial vehicle sub-sectors.
Comments