Speaking of a new energy vehicle battery, it is definitely not simpler than a car engine. Different materials and technologies, even if the same material is used, but the ratio is different, will have an impact on the overall performance of the car. At present, the competition in the battery market is also unprecedentedly fierce. With the reduction of subsidies for new energy vehicles and consumers' requirements for long battery life, car manufacturers require batteries to be smaller and more efficient on the one hand, and lower prices on the other. Therefore, this year is also a year for new energy vehicle battery manufacturers to reshuffle. Many manufacturers have closed down, and at the same time, a number of leading battery companies such as CATL, BYD, and Guoxuan have been created. For consumers, if they want to understand new energy vehicles, of course they must start with understanding batteries.
Technology battle battery companies face reshuffle
In the second half of 2018, various new energy car manufacturers entered the "harvest season", and Weilai and Weimar began to deliver cars to customers. Behind this fierce competition in the blue ocean is the fiercer competition in the battery market. Lang Chuan, a researcher at the Qingdao factory of a well-known brand in the industry, told reporters that the start of new energy subsidies a few years ago stimulated the rapid growth of the battery industry. "Buy single batteries from outside, and make battery packs according to the requirements of new energy vehicle manufacturers, and you can sell them at a good price. You don't care about research and development issues at all." Lang Chuan described the early new energy battery market to reporters. But right now, this pattern is difficult to continue. "The reduction of subsidies means that manufacturers must reduce costs, and batteries account for 30%-40% of the cost of new energy vehicles. To reduce costs, the first thing to do is to use batteries. The cruising range of new energy vehicles has now entered the era of 500 kilometers, and the volume remains unchanged. It is necessary to improve the energy density under the premise that such a technology is not available to all manufacturers.”
On the one hand, it is cost, and on the other hand, it is research and development capabilities. The squeeze on both sides has put many new energy battery companies in trouble, and has also created a group of "strength factions". Brands such as CATL, BYD, and Guoxuan have gradually gained market recognition. "When introducing cars to consumers, we will highlight the use of batteries from the 'Ningde era'." Chen Min said frankly that now consumers not only have a concept of the car brand, but also have a word-of-mouth awareness of the battery. In his opinion: "This is actually a recognition of a healthy market that emphasizes R&D, technology and quality, and is a good thing for the new energy vehicle market."Please check:https://www.aimeno.com/lifepo4-battery-cell/lists_97.html
Lithium batteries are gradually occupying the market in the competition of types
"At present, lithium-ion power batteries are still the mainstream of the market." As a technician, Lang Chuan even recognizes lithium batteries. In his opinion, the era of lithium batteries has fully arrived. According to different cathode materials, lithium-ion batteries are mainly divided into lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary batteries represented by nickel-cobalt-manganese and nickel-cobalt-aluminum. However, the energy density of lithium iron phosphate batteries with relatively mature technology at this stage has reached its physical limit.
Consumers' expectations for the cruising range of electric vehicles are transmitted to power battery companies through car manufacturers, which inevitably require batteries with higher energy density, greater charge capacity, and can run farther. And as early as February 2017, the "Action Plan for Promoting the Development of the Automotive Power Battery Industry" clearly stated that by 2020, the energy density of a power battery unit will be 300Wh/kg, the system energy density will be 260Wh/kg, and the cost will be 1 yuan/Wh. . It is almost impossible to achieve this goal with lithium iron phosphate batteries alone. Therefore, the proportion of ternary batteries is rising rapidly, while the growth rate of lithium iron phosphate batteries is slowing down. Lang Chuan believes: "In the next few years, power batteries will be dominated by ternary batteries, and at the same time, they will develop in the direction of high-nickel ternary and new system batteries." BYD, which is researching, has also quietly changed its direction recently. Not only are new cars generally equipped with ternary lithium batteries, but it is also moving closer to ternary lithium batteries in research and development.
However, high-performance ternary lithium batteries are scarce in the market, and many new energy car manufacturers are unable to deliver vehicles on a large scale. The shortage of batteries is an important reason. In addition, many brands of long-life models are always out of stock, which has a lot to do with the insufficient production capacity of high-performance ternary lithium batteries. Lang Chuan told reporters that at present, due to the surge in the output of ternary lithium batteries, the prices of raw materials such as manganese and cobalt continue to rise. How to reduce costs and develop alternative products in the future will become the direction of efforts of battery research and development companies. Looking at the international market, domestic and foreign companies have accelerated the deployment of next-generation battery technology routes, such as all-solid-state lithium batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, and fuel cells.
Battery Family Map
NiMH batteries
Advantages: low price, strong versatility, large current, environmental protection and stability.
Cons: Heavy weight, short battery life.
"Personality" characteristics: Ni-MH batteries are somewhat similar to the lazy sheep in the cartoon "Pleasant Goat".
The earliest mobile phone batteries were nickel-metal hydride batteries, with small capacity, short life, and charging "memory effect". Many people did not like this kind of battery. After the 1990s, many hybrid vehicles represented by Toyota Prius used such batteries as energy storage components. Ni-MH batteries have a low battery cell voltage, but are cheap, environmentally friendly, and stable. As a supplementary auxiliary power for gasoline engines, they are ideally equipped for hybrid vehicles.
Lithium cobalt oxide battery
Advantages: high energy density and stable structure.
Disadvantages: poor security, very high cost.
"Character" characteristics: Lithium cobalt oxide batteries are more like boiling sheep, with great strength, but a little irritable temper.
Lithium cobalt oxide battery is a kind of lithium-ion battery. It has a stable structure, high capacity ratio, and outstanding comprehensive performance, but its safety is poor and its cost is very high. It is mainly used in mobile phones, notebook computers and other portable electronic devices. Tesla's original electric car, the Roadster, was the only one that used cobalt oxide lithium-ion batteries. The high energy density of lithium cobalt oxide batteries is an advantage, but at 180-250°C, the internal chemical composition is in an unstable state, like a wild horse that is difficult to tame. As for Tesla's initial choice of lithium cobalt oxide batteries, the reason is that Tesla's powerful battery management and monitoring system can ensure that each battery is at a suitable working temperature to the greatest extent.
Lithium iron phosphate battery
Advantages: ultra-stable, low cost, long cycle life.
Disadvantages: low energy density, poor low temperature performance.
"Character" characteristics: the warm sheep in the battery world, big in size but small in strength, the key point is super good temper, he is simply a good young man of Buddhism.
Lithium iron phosphate battery refers to a lithium ion battery using lithium iron phosphate as the positive electrode material, also known as lithium iron battery. BYD was once the main developer of this type of battery. The most prominent feature of lithium iron phosphate battery is thermal stability, which is second to none in the current lithium battery for vehicles, but the energy density of lithium iron phosphate battery is far lower than that of ternary lithium battery. large volume. Therefore, at present, lithium iron phosphate batteries are still used more as power batteries for electric buses.
Ternary lithium battery
Advantages: high voltage platform and high energy density.
Disadvantages: poor safety, poor high temperature resistance.
"Character" characteristics: The ternary lithium battery can be called the Pleasant Goat in the battery industry. It is not the best in all aspects, but fortunately it is balanced, more irritable, and afraid of heat.
Ternary lithium batteries are currently the most popular battery type for electric vehicles. From Zhidou to Tesla, even BYD has begun to switch to ternary lithium batteries. The so-called "ternary" means that the positive electrode of the battery uses three elements of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and of course lithium. The ternary lithium battery has a much higher weight and energy density. Generally speaking, the ternary lithium battery of the same weight has a longer cruising range than the lithium iron phosphate battery. Although ternary lithium is safer than lithium cobalt oxide batteries, when its own temperature is 250-350°C, the internal chemical components begin to decompose, so extremely high requirements are placed on the battery management system.Please check:https://www.aminobattery.com/lithium-battery/204.html
hydrogen fuel cell
Advantages: convenient and simple energy filling, higher efficiency, clean and pollution-free.
Disadvantages: complex technology, expensive cost, short life.
"Character" traits: a beautiful sheep in the battery industry, beautiful and luxurious, a little out of touch.
A hydrogen fuel cell is a battery that uses the chemical element hydrogen to store energy. Strictly speaking, it is not a battery, but generates electricity through the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. The whole process only produces water and heat, which is more environmentally friendly. Another advantage of fuel cells is thermal efficiency. The thermal efficiency of gasoline internal combustion engines is only about 30%, while the power generation efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells can reach more than 50%. Hydrogen fuel cells are expensive, and metal platinum is used as a catalyst in the power generation process. Yes, it is platinum. Although it is believed in the industry that hydrogen fuel cells are the future development trend of electric vehicles, they still look beautiful at present.