June 16th, 2026 | 08:00 CEST
Electric Vehicle Sales Are Booming: Taking a Closer Look at Albemarle, Rock Tech Lithium and BYD
The electric vehicle market is booming and may have received an additional boost from the conflict in the Persian Gulf. However, the global picture remains mixed. The strongest growth is taking place in the world's largest automotive market: China. There, the electrification rate has now surpassed the 50% threshold. More than one in two newly registered vehicles in the country is a plug-in. EV growth of 10-15% is forecast for this year. Germany, the world's third-largest automotive market, has also returned to a dynamic growth path following a weak 2024. Sales figures for 2025 stood at more than half a million electric vehicles. If plug-in hybrids are included, total sales exceed 800,000 units, representing an increase of over 40%. The United States, the world's second-largest automotive market, remains the exception, showing weaker development, largely due to political headwinds from Washington. The share of newly sold electric vehicles in the overall market there is estimated at just 7%-8%. Globally, however, battery-powered vehicles remain on the fast track to success, accounting for roughly 25% of the market. In addition, a new sales record was reached in 2025, with more than 20 million electric vehicles sold worldwide, up 20% year over year. This momentum is reason enough to take another look at attractive stocks in the sector. Today, we examine the shares of Albemarle, Rock Tech Lithium, and BYD.
time to read: 5 minutes
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Author:
Tarik Dede
ISIN:
ROCK TECH LITHIUM | CA77273P2017 , BYD CO. LTD H YC 1 | CNE100000296 , ALBEMARLE CORP. DL-_01 | US0126531013
Table of contents:
Author
Tarik Dede
Even as a high school student in northern Germany, he developed a strong interest in the “Neuer Markt” and the dynamics of the equity markets. Small- and mid-cap companies were at the center of his focus from the very beginning. After completing his training as a certified bank clerk, he deepened his economic expertise through formal studies in economics as well as through various positions within Frankfurt’s financial sector. Today, he has been actively involved in the capital markets for more than 25 years, both professionally and as a private investor.
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Albemarle: The Heavyweight Is Growing Again
Until 2022, lithium producers experienced an almost unprecedented boom. When the bubble burst, a number of companies disappeared from the market. Nevertheless, momentum now appears to be returning, making Albemarle worth a closer look. With a global market share of around 16%, the US company is the industry leader in terms of global lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) supply. Headquartered in Charlotte, Albemarle benefits directly from rising demand and offers more than just the raw material itself. The company is a specialty chemicals producer that covers the entire value chain, from lithium extraction to the production of battery-grade materials.
After the boom burst, the company had to scale back its ambitions. Falling prices eroded profit margins, but overall market growth remained intact. Lithium prices began to rise again as early as last year. As usual, the stock market anticipated this early on, and the company's shares have been rising since around Q2 2025. At its peak, the share quadrupled in value. It is currently consolidating at roughly 25% below its 52-week high.
The rising demand was reflected in the figures. In early May, Albemarle released a strong quarterly report for the period between January and March. According to the report, revenue increased by a third to USD 1.43 billion. The main driver was the energy storage (lithium) segment, whose revenue climbed by 70%. This was accompanied by higher sales figures once again, which points to the sustainability of the upswing. The company is perhaps the premier quality stock in the lithium sector and has another ace up its sleeve with the expansion of AI data centers in the US. Investors entering the market here are betting on growing demand and higher prices. Those looking to buy countercyclically should do so between USD 158 and USD 161. Pro-cyclical investors are waiting for the share to break above the 50-day moving average at around USD 175.
Rock Tech Lithium: Xetra Listing and Nasdaq as the Next Price Drivers?
During the lithium boom, Rock Tech Lithium was one of the most popular stocks among German investors. At times, the stock's price increased tenfold. After the boom came the hangover, and lithium stocks lost popularity. Meanwhile, the market is beginning to stabilize again. The era of large inventories is over; demand is picking up. The steady growth of the electric vehicle fleet is also helping. Not least, the war in the Persian Gulf is driving demand. Fewer and fewer drivers want to make their fuel costs dependent on unpredictable regimes in Russia, the Middle East or the US.
However, Europe remains heavily dependent on imports from China, particularly for battery-grade lithium. A domestic supply chain for the region's own industry does not yet exist. Rock Tech Lithium aims to fill precisely this gap. For one, the company owns its own lithium project at Georgia Lake in northern Ontario, Canada. The deposit is a hard-rock lithium resource containing spodumene. The ore is to be concentrated on-site using the company's own processing facility.
The material is then intended to be transported to the planned Red Rock Converter, where it will undergo chemical processing. From there, both the Canadian and US markets can be supplied. This provides a major advantage: the lithium hydroxide produced there fully complies with the stringent requirements of both the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and applicable free trade agreement provisions. This enhances Rock Tech's attractiveness as a supplier to the US automotive industry.
Last but not least, Rock Tech Lithium also plans to build a converter in Germany, specifically in Guben, Brandenburg. Originally, the material from Canada was to be processed here for the German and European automotive industries. In terms of capacity, the facility was designed to produce material for the batteries of 500,000 electric vehicles per year. However, Rock Tech's management is now acting very flexibly and has entered into a joint venture with the Swiss trading company Transamine. Now the company can both purchase spodumene concentrate worldwide for the plant in Guben and trade surplus quantities from its own mine in Canada.
The converter in Guben is of enormous importance for Europe. The planned refinery was therefore officially recognized by the European Union as a "strategic project" under the Critical Raw Materials Act, as the goal is to drastically reduce dependence on Chinese refineries.
Rock Tech Lithium shares have been traded on Xetra in Frankfurt for the first time since last week. This is intended to increase liquidity in the stock and to open it up more to institutional investors. In addition, management has initiated plans for a Nasdaq listing. This should support the share price in the coming weeks and months.
BYD: Even the Giant Has to Fight
Once it was Tesla, now BYD (Build Your Dreams) is the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer. China's giant has overtaken Musk's company, primarily thanks to its strength in the domestic market. However, it is now becoming clear that even the global market leader cannot expect smooth sailing indefinitely. BYD is now having to fight for every customer. After a record year in 2025 with 4.6 million vehicles sold, the relentless price war in the domestic market is starting to take its toll. There are still dozens of competitors in China, much like there were in Europe a hundred years ago.
BYD has itself participated in this strategy to push competitors out of the market. However, the lower prices could not be fully offset by higher sales volumes. As a result, group-wide production fell to around 1.41 million units in May—about 20% less than in the same period last year. Nevertheless, the company's early expansion abroad is now paying off. In Australia, for example, new registrations increased by a whopping 120% by the end of May.
However, the first-quarter figures showed that lower sales volumes are affecting revenue, which fell by just under 12% to the equivalent of USD 21 billion. The bottom line was even 55.4% lower than in the same quarter of the previous year.
The management team led by founder and Chairman Wang Chuanfu is hardly bothered by this. In the medium- to long-term, the company is counting on competitors in China dropping out of the race. That is why it aims to become the world's largest automaker in five years—including its internal combustion engine competitors. To avoid punitive tariffs, BYD is focusing on building local factories in countries such as Hungary, Brazil, and Southeast Asia. Vertical integration also remains a major advantage. With the introduction of the second generation of the extremely safe Blade Battery and the new, very fast charging technology, the company also aims to keep Western competitors at bay. BYD shares have plummeted by about a quarter since April. Currently, it is only a buy for contrarian investors.
Albemarle is the global leader in the lithium market and is currently benefiting from rising prices. However, the recent sharp pullback suggests a cautious entry. Rock Tech Lithium is Europe's answer to China's dominance in the lithium market. The stock should benefit from its completed listing on Xetra, as well as from plans for a listing on Nasdaq. BYD is a stock for speculative investors. The long-term strategy is compelling, but in the short term, fierce price competition in China is weighing on profit margins.
Conflict of interest
Pursuant to §85 of the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG), we point out that Apaton Finance GmbH as well as partners, authors or employees of Apaton Finance GmbH (hereinafter referred to as "Relevant Persons") may hold shares or other financial instruments of the aforementioned companies in the future or may bet on rising or falling prices and thus a conflict of interest may arise in the future. The Relevant Persons reserve the right to buy or sell shares or other financial instruments of the Company at any time (hereinafter each a "Transaction"). Transactions may, under certain circumstances, influence the respective price of the shares or other financial instruments of the Company.
In addition, Apaton Finance GmbH is active in the context of the preparation and publication of the reporting in paid contractual relationships.
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