At present, the energy density of mainstream ternary batteries in mass production in the industry is generally above 210Wh/kg, while the energy density of mainstream LFP batteries is generally below 180Wh/kg. This means that once the technical index is implemented, it will have a certain impact on the industrialization of LFP batteries.
In this regard, a number of power battery company executives believe that the technical index seems to have touched the "ceiling" of LFP battery energy density, but it can be achieved for power battery companies with strong competitive strength.
For example, Honeycomb Energy's second generation L600 short blade LFP cells have been developed, with a single capacity of 196Ah, an energy density of over 185Wh/kg and a bulk energy density of over 430Wh/L, and are expected to be in mass production in Q3 2022.
The energy density of LFP cores currently in mature mass production has reached 190Wh/kg, and the test cores have reached 210Wh/kg and are planned to reach 260Wh/kg in 2025.
EVERLIGHT indicates that the main products of the company's power type LFP battery can achieve energy density ≥180Wh/kg, and the main products for power and home energy storage can meet the requirements.
The LFP cells with a specific energy of 180Wh/kg have been delivered in mass production in 2020, and the LFP cells with a specific energy of 190Wh/kg are planned to be launched in 2021.
As a leading company in the power battery market, Ningde Time's LFP power battery has been installed in large-scale applications worldwide, and its single energy density exceeds 180Wh/kg without difficulty.
Industry insiders believe that from the technical point of view, LFP cell energy density over 180Wh/kg can be achieved, but from the industrialization point of view, there is still a certain technical difficulty for power battery enterprises.
It is reported that most of the LFP battery energy density in mass production on the market can be close to 180Wh/kg, but there is no battery company whose LFP cell energy density is 100% more than 180Wh/kg.
On the one hand, LFP cells to break through the energy density "ceiling", the need for battery companies in the material system development, cell structure design, battery manufacturing process and other aspects of core technology, there is a high technical threshold.
On the other hand, the role of subsidies continues to weaken, the market orientation is obvious, the downstream OEMs demand for power battery products from the previous high energy density to high safety and low cost change.
In this case, power battery companies will develop their LFP cell products according to the needs of downstream customers, and put the competitive advantage in improving battery safety and cycle life and cost performance, energy density no longer becomes the main goal of battery companies' cell development.
However, the industry believes that the policy proposed power battery monomer energy density to ≥ 180Wh/kg on the development of LFP batteries also has a positive effect. The signal released by this move is that the policy is guiding enterprises to establish high-quality production capacity, to avoid low-level duplication of construction brought about by low thresholds.
For power battery enterprises, the main path to achieve LFP battery energy density over 180Wh/kg is as follows.
First, optimize the material system, such as cathode materials from lithium iron phosphate to lithium iron manganese phosphate upgrade, the use of silicon doping lithium technology, the introduction of new electrolytes and extremely thin copper foil, etc., to improve the energy density of the battery cell.
The second is to optimize the structure design of the cell, make the cell size to enhance the battery capacity, a single cell capacity to at least 180Ah or more, and the use of lightweight technology to reduce the weight of the cell.
At present, large square, large cylindrical and large soft package has become the main direction of the battery companies power battery product development.
In fact, in terms of energy density improvement, high nickel battery is still the main technical direction, including Ningde Time, Hefei Guoxuan, Yiwei Li-energy and other enterprises have developed 300Wh/kg high nickel battery products, and even has achieved 200Wh/kg battery system installed supporting and entered the "Recommended Catalog". This means that the mass production of 300Wh/kg high nickel ternary batteries is imminent.
Overall, LFP battery energy density to achieve super 180Wh/kg for battery companies have some difficulty, if the technical indicators officially as the future power battery new projects access threshold, or will have a certain impact on the late LFP power battery project investment and expansion.
However, the "Standard Conditions (2021)" is a guiding document to encourage and guide the technical progress and standardized development of the industry, does not have administrative approval of the predecessor and mandatory, which also gives battery companies in the late battery technology development and capacity expansion reserved for the development of space.
