Through continuous technical iteration, CATL has launched the third-generation CTP technology, which is called "Kirin battery" internally. Its system weight, energy density and volumetric energy density continue to lead the industry.
"Under the same chemical system and the same battery pack size, the power of the Kirin battery pack can be increased by 13% compared to the 4680 system." Industry insiders said that the "Kirin Battery" will be officially released in April this year.
Last September, Tesla debuted the disruptive 4680 battery at its Battery Day event, which became a hot technology in the industry discussion.
Some industry organizations estimate that 4680 will become the mainstream direction for a period of time. The emergence of "Kirin battery" will undoubtedly have a great impact on the entire industry chain. Now that 4680 has not been mass-produced, CATL has launched better technical products.
The rise of large cylindrical batteries, "Kirin battery" counterattack
Batteries have always been the focus of various car companies and battery manufacturers. According to different packaging methods, power batteries can be divided into cylindrical, square and soft packs.
In China, square batteries are the main ones. Except for Tesla, more than 90% of electric vehicles use square batteries. Data shows that in 2021, square batteries will account for about 80% of the installed capacity of power batteries in China.
CATL is the "square boss". The CATLCTP battery is similar to the BYD blade battery and is recognized by many parties. Among them, the Tesla lithium iron phosphate battery (Lifepo4 battery) adopts the Ningde era CTP technology, the group energy density reaches 150-160wh/kg, and the cost is 15% lower than the ternary battery. about.
With the surge in Tesla's global sales, the cylindrical battery gradually regained some market share. After the release of the 4680 large cylindrical battery, the large cylindrical battery ushered in another wave of outbreaks.
The 4680 battery is a new generation of cylindrical battery with a diameter of 46 mm and a height of 80 mm. For batteries, when the energy density is increased, the power density will decrease. The diameter of 46mm is the best choice for cylindrical batteries with both high energy density and high power density.
With the strong rise of the 4680 large cylindrical battery, the once weakened cylindrical battery route has been favored by companies such as Panasonic, Yiwei Lithium Energy and BAK.
Facing the fierce offensive of the big cylinder, CATL also launched a new square battery product - Kirin battery as a counterattack, and emphasized that "the energy density is 13% higher than that of the 4680 system".
At present, the information disclosure of "Kirin battery" is still in a relatively hazy stage. CTP technology means no modularization, which is the way to realize highly integrated batteries. Compared with traditional battery packs, the volume utilization rate of CTP battery packs is increased by 15%-20%, the number of battery pack components is reduced by 40%, and the production efficiency is increased by 50%, which greatly reduces the manufacturing cost of power batteries. , BYD promotion.
According to the information released by CATL, the third-generation CTP technology (Kirin battery) takes into account the advantages of extreme speed, lossless, safety, and high efficiency, and is suitable for lithium iron phosphate and ternary batteries, covering the fields of passenger cars and commercial vehicles. When the "Kirin battery" uses lithium iron phosphate, the system energy density exceeds 160Wh/kg and 290Wh/L; when the ternary system is used, the system energy density can reach 250Wh/kg and 450Wh/L. Under the same cell chemistry system and the same battery pack size, the Kirin battery can hold 13% more power than the 4680 system.
Cylindrical batteries are not the advantage of CATL, but the square battery based on CTP battery technology is the core competitiveness of CATL. In 2019, CATL launched the first-generation CTP battery technology suitable for passenger cars; at present, CATL is planning a second-generation platform-based CTP battery system, and plans to put it into market application in 2022-2023, and will target from 2022-2023. The third-generation serialized CTP battery technology is launched for all models from A00 to D-class. By 2025, CATL plans to launch the fourth-generation highly integrated CTC battery system, and is expected to upgrade to the fifth-generation intelligent CTC electric chassis system around 2028.
With the launch of the "Kirin battery", the energy density and cruising range are higher than that of the 4680 battery, which directly competes with the cylindrical battery.
Is the large cylindrical battery the next technology direction?
The offensive and defensive battle of squares and large columns has already started.
At the power battery forum hosted by the Electric Vehicles Association of 100, the discussion on large cylindrical batteries is hot again.
"The large cylindrical power battery is currently in the promotion stage from design verification to engineering verification." Fan Wenguang, vice president of BAK Power Battery, believes that the current power battery market has three forms: square shell/blade, soft pack, and cylinder. In the world, the performance advantages of various aspects determine that the large cylindrical power battery is the optimal solution for mid-to-high-end electric vehicles in the next 5-10 years. By 2025, the market share of large cylindrical batteries will exceed 30%, that is, about 480GWh. Exceeds total global demand in 2021.
Beginning in 2020, BAK Power has introduced large cylinder products to some high-end OEM customers. Since last year, samples have been delivered in batches one after another, and the performance is in line with expectations.
Liu Jincheng, chairman of Yiwei Lithium Energy, also insisted that large cylindrical batteries will become a more mainstream direction in new energy vehicles because of its two characteristics of "absolute safety and absolute economy".
As one of the power battery manufacturers that cooperates most closely with Tesla, Panasonic is a firm supporter of the cylindrical battery technology route. Yuki Kusami, president of Panasonic Electric Group, once again stated at the forum of the Hundreds that 4680 batteries will become the mainstream of cylindrical batteries in the future.
The large cylindrical battery once again broke into the market vision, causing the market to ask: Can it lead the direction of the next generation of technology?
Ternary and iron-lithium coexist, square, soft bag and cylinder have their own merits. The domestic market is dominated by square batteries, and the European market is dominated by soft-packed batteries. The square battery path with a higher degree of localization and a more mature technology chain is the mainstream in China, and the representative companies are CATL and BYD; among the five largest domestic companies producing ternary lithium batteries, only Funeng Technology has a technical route that adopts soft technology. Package technology, the other companies are mainly based on the technical route of square aluminum shell.
Tesla's self-designed 4680 battery has 6 times the energy of the previous battery cell, increased cruising range by 16%, and reduced cost by 56%, solving the industry pain points of high cost, low battery life, slow charging and potential safety hazards. The 4680 battery is rewriting the pattern of the battery industry. It is expected that driven by Tesla, the 4680 battery is expected to become the next standard size battery widely used by the automotive industry.
At present, the world's major power battery giants are scrambling to deploy 4680 batteries, including Panasonic, LG New Energy, Samsung SDI, Ningde Times, Yiwei Lithium Energy, BAK Battery, Honeycomb Energy and other battery manufacturers, all of which have set foot in 4680 batteries Development, speed up the follow-up of 4680 battery layout.
Tesla has unique technical advantages, and the 4680 has high technical barriers. Due to the fact that domestic companies have focused on square batteries in the past few years, and have less cylindrical technology reserves and manufacturing experience, domestic companies are expected to mass-produce them in 2024.
In the field of square batteries, the Ningde era is the champion, but in the cylindrical battery, almost all domestic manufacturers are on the same level, and the Ningde era has not formed a big advantage in this field.
The second-tier enterprises have an opportunity, and are expected to achieve a single-point breakthrough by concentrating their efforts, mass-produce 4680 in advance, and increase their market share. BAK Power will expand its battery capacity of 80GWh at home and abroad in two phases. Currently, there are two series of full-tab large cylindrical battery products in 46 series and 26 series. Yiwei Lithium Energy deploys two large cylindrical batteries of 46800 and 46950. It is expected to release 20GWH of production capacity in 2023 and 40GWH in 2024.
The large cylindrical battery of the Ningde era is also accelerating its pace. The project name is "Golden Hoop Rod", and it is planned to be mass-produced in 2024. In contrast, Panasonic will trial production of 4680 batteries in April 2022, and is expected to be installed in Tesla vehicles in 2022.
The core technology is the fundamental factor for power battery companies to base themselves on the market. The 4680 pioneered the co-optimization of battery life, charging and cost. It abandoned the current technical route of square batteries and followed up and tried to use cylindrical batteries. choose.
