From the recent batches of "Recommended Models for the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles", it can be seen that lithium iron phosphate batteries have an absolute advantage in pure electric buses and special vehicles, and the proportion of applications in passenger cars has also increased.
On September 9, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China released the eighth batch of the 2019 "New Energy Vehicle Promotion and Application Recommended Model Catalog" (hereinafter referred to as the "Promotion Catalog"), which contains a total of 246 models. From the perspective of the battery technology route, lithium iron phosphate batteries are equipped with 169 models, accounting for 69%. In the first and second batches of the "Promotion Catalog", this proportion is 45% and 58% respectively. The resurgence of lithium iron phosphate batteries is becoming more apparent.
High safety, low cost, and long life are the three core advantages of lithium iron phosphate batteries. With the continuous breakthrough of technical bottlenecks, the energy density of lithium iron phosphate batteries continues to increase, adding heavyweight to its regaining of market favor.
Technology iteration accelerates the continuous improvement of energy density
The industry research report released by Pacific Securities shows that the gram capacity of lithium iron phosphate cathode materials has been basically increased from 120mAh/g to 145mAh/g. This means that the energy density of lithium iron phosphate batteries has been significantly improved.
This is verified in the new energy vehicle purchase tax exemption catalog and the "promotion catalog". According to the statistics of the Passenger Association, from 2014 to 2018, the energy density of the power batteries on the pure electric buses in the purchase tax exemption catalog increased from 85Wh/kg to 138Wh/kg, an increase of 62%. In addition, according to the "Promotion Catalog", a total of 1,762 new energy buses were released in 2018, 93% of which have a powerful battery energy density exceeding 120Wh/kg. Among them, new energy buses with an energy density of 140Wh/kg-150Wh/kg There are 1,006 models, accounting for 57%, and some models with more than 150Wh/kg.
Behind the performance improvement is the accumulation of technology and the bold practice of innovation. As the earliest industrialized power battery technology route, my country’s mainstream lithium iron phosphate battery companies continue to innovate from cell design, material selection, process matching, production equipment, and pack lightweight. Lithium iron phosphate battery technology continues to iterate and energy density continues. Promote.
A few days ago, BYD revealed at the performance exchange meeting that it will launch a new generation of lithium iron phosphate batteries from May to June next year. The volume-specific energy density is increased by 50%, the life span is 1.2 million kilometers for 8 years, and the cost is reduced by about 30%. Equipped with new batteries, the new car has a cruising range of up to 500-600km.
"A 50% increase in volume-specific energy density may lead to weight increase, but the actual endurance performance must be greatly improved in the end," said Zhang Yu, secretary-general of the Power Battery Application Branch of the China Chemical and Physical Power Supply Industry Association.
As the first domestic enterprise to provide lithium iron phosphate batteries for passenger cars, Guoxuan High-Tech has completed the product upgrade of lithium iron phosphate monomer energy density of 190Wh/kg, and the energy density of the supporting passenger car system reaches 140Wh/kg. It meets the cruising range of new energy vehicles above 400Km. Wang Xiaoyang, general manager of Guoxuan High-Tech Passenger Vehicle Division, said that in 2019, Guoxuan High-Tech plans to increase the energy density of lithium iron phosphate cells to 200Wh/kg and the system energy density to 160Wh/kg.
The industry believes that the breakthrough of the technological bottleneck has brought new dawn to the development of lithium iron phosphate batteries. After the energy density continues to increase, its high cost-effective advantage can be enlarged, and its attractiveness to the market is self-evident.
Significant core advantages, market share continues to rise
It can be seen from the recent batches of "Promotion Catalogs" that lithium iron phosphate batteries have an absolute advantage in pure electric buses and special vehicles, and the proportion of applications in passenger cars has also increased.
“New energy buses may receive further support from policies, which will benefit the lithium iron phosphate battery industry; for consumers in third- and fourth-tier cities and even townships, low-price, long-life, and high-safety lithium iron phosphate batteries are more advantageous. Market competitiveness; a large number of lithium iron phosphate batteries will be supplied in the special-purpose vehicle field this year, which is also an important factor in the market recovery." Zhang Yu explained.
For models positioned in different markets, OEMs have different requirements in terms of power battery energy density and technical routes. In the A0 and A00 class models, consumers are more price-sensitive, and by replacing lithium iron phosphate batteries, they are more popular in the market.
Cheng Yansong, deputy general manager of the marketing center of Huading Guolian Power Battery Co., Ltd., pointed out that at present, the energy density of lithium iron phosphate batteries can meet the basic endurance requirements of electric vehicles, and the cost is 10% to 15% cheaper than that of ternary batteries. The model can save 30,000-6,000 yuan in cost by replacing the lithium iron phosphate battery. Regardless of performance or price, lithium iron phosphate batteries have certain advantages.
The reporter checked the information and found that entering 2019, JAC has increased the battery replacement process, and a total of 6 models are equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries; BAIC New Energy’s ECU220 has added a standard version of the model equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries. Compared with the previous two versions, the price does not rise but falls; SAIC-GM-Wuling and Chery have also declared models equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries.
At the same time, as the "heart" of new energy vehicles, the safety of power batteries has always been the focus of the industry. Due to the high thermal decomposition temperature of lithium iron phosphate cathode materials and low heat release when thermal runaway, the safety of lithium iron phosphate batteries generally requires the same conditions as the other materials of the battery core, the same battery pack structure design, and the same structural parts. Higher than a ternary battery.
"In terms of service life, the capacity of a lithium iron phosphate battery starts to decay after about 3,500 cycles of charge and discharge, while a ternary lithium battery usually declines after 2,000 cycles. There is a significant gap." Zhang Yu said.
Wang Xiaoyang said that the life span of lithium iron phosphate batteries is basically 8-10 years. JAC first-generation vehicles were put on the market in 2011, and many users are still using them, which fully demonstrates the safety and reliability of lithium iron phosphate batteries.
The prospect of changing policy orientation to market orientation is worth looking forward to
In 2020, the new energy automobile industry will enter a subsidy-free era. When the policy orientation shifts to market orientation, the focus of car companies’ attention will also shift from “getting higher subsidies” to “occupying more market share”.
Liu Jincheng, chairman of Yiwei Lithium Energy, said that the subsidy retreat is conducive to the real formation of the new energy vehicle market. Only when the technology direction is clear and the quality is clear can the market be won.
"After the subsidies are completely withdrawn, the power battery industry will enter a stage where market demand drives industry growth, and the choice of technical routes will be handed over to the market. Products with high safety, long life cycle, and high-cost performance will become the main market. Demand." Liu Jianbo, Chairman of Anda Technology, said that many automakers will now use lithium iron phosphate batteries in their vehicle loading plans for next year, especially new energy vehicles with a battery life of fewer than 400 kilometers and a price of less than 150,000 yuan. Car-hailing market. Therefore, starting from 2020, lithium iron phosphate batteries will become an important part of the passenger car power battery installation program.
Zhang Yu pointed out that the compound growth rate of lithium iron phosphate battery shipments from 2018 to 2022 is expected to exceed 30%, which will have a greater impact on the existing market structure of various power battery technology routes. It is expected that in the next 2-3 years, phosphoric acid The market share of iron-lithium batteries will increase substantially.
Yang Yusheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, proposed that extended-range hybrid vehicles and lithium iron phosphate batteries are an excellent pairing combination. In his view, the use of lithium iron phosphate batteries in the extended-range electric vehicle market can not only improve the safety of vehicles, but also support the marketization of extended-range electric vehicles, eliminating the mileage, safety, price, charging, and charging of pure electric vehicles. Follow-up battery problems and other anxiety.
In addition, with the rise of the energy storage industry, power battery companies have deployed energy storage businesses, which also opened up a new world for lithium iron phosphate batteries. It is reported that lithium iron phosphate batteries have been widely used in user-side and grid-side frequency modulation, becoming an important force in the field of energy storage applications.
