What are you betting on tomorrow? The Technology of China's New Energy Vehicles

The China Times reported on July 4 that it was a fire, but it seemed to cool down the domestic electric car industry, which is making a comeback.

"Ignition" is an electric taxi operated on the streets of Hangzhou nearly three months ago. The causes of spontaneous combustion are not complicated. The official survey results released on June 8 stated that “there are no quality problems in the design and manufacture of battery cells. However, after the batteries are grouped, they cannot fully meet the needs of the vehicle's use environment. They are caused by local short circuits. ACCIDENT."

Just half a month after the "China's first incident of spontaneous combustion of pure electric vehicles" was released, a survey on the development status of energy-saving and new energy vehicles organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was launched nationwide. From June 22, China has 62 vehicles, 68 power batteries and key materials, 48 ​​drive motors, 32 battery management systems, and more than 210 responsible companies have been successively received from the China Automotive Engineering Society. The researcher's survey questionnaire. From then on until September of this year, the research team from Beijing will also cover the entire north and south of the river.

On the eve of the promulgated "Energy-saving and new energy automobile industry development plan (2011-2020)" (hereinafter referred to as "planning"), such an unprecedented scale of research activities with "finding" is thought-provoking.

No one speculates on the inextricable link between “spontaneous combustion” and “research”. Just as no one doubts that electric vehicles will become the dominator of future travel for human beings, the reality is that the level of power battery technology with domestic realities can sufficiently support the “planning”. Did you paint the sky?

Leading lithium iron phosphate for the self-inflicted investigation report that claimed to be “completely improved battery group technology and group processes, improved insulation performance of group batteries, and enhanced fixed-type recovery”, Wang Tong (a pseudonym) Not recognized.

“Even if it is not a problem with battery cells, the occurrence of this incident has also revealed the immaturity of electric vehicle battery technology. This is not surprising at all.” Wang Tong now works for a domestic manufacturer of lithium iron phosphate batteries. This company is one of the 68 power battery companies surveyed by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and is also the main supplier of new energy vehicles for domestic auto companies such as FAW, Chery and Geely. "Originally we talked about the cooperation with several car companies, but also because the incident (referring to the spontaneous combustion of Hangzhou electric taxis) made the cooperation plan temporarily stranded."

Although there is no clear indication that the prospect of lithium iron phosphate batteries will be bleak due to spontaneous combustion events, Wang Tong is still worried that the company's business will be blocked.

In fact, lithium-ion power batteries with lithium iron phosphate as the battery cathode cannot be shaken in the current domestic electric vehicle industry. A research report of the battery industry by Shenyin Wanguo revealed that among the 17 hybrid and pure electric vehicles that have been announced in China, 11 are equipped with lithium-ion batteries, and lithium iron phosphate batteries account for the vast majority of them.

The reason why domestic battery manufacturers favor lithium iron phosphate batteries is that they have a high discharge power rate, can be quickly charged and have a long cycle life (more than 2,000 times), and have high stability in high-temperature and high-heat environments (more than 300 degrees Celsius high temperature is only a safety hazard. ), with a very good technical margin of safety. These data are almost all the most concerned about the current electric car industry - fast charge means the convenience of use, long cycle life represents the battery life.

What is even more crucial is that under the premise of the above-mentioned technical characteristics, the company faces tremendous profitability from the perspective of domestic electric vehicle market. Taking a small plant with an annual output of 200 tons of lithium iron phosphate anode material as an example, its investment in production equipment is only 2.2 million yuan (excluding testing equipment), and its annual output value is as high as 30 million yuan.

A research report from Guolian Securities indicated that lithium-ion batteries with lithium iron phosphate as the cathode material have a gross profit rate as high as 40% to 70%, far exceeding the lithium manganate and lithium cobalt oxide used as cathode materials (gross profit margins are 30% to 50%, 20%).

Technology, or technology, but even so, lithium iron phosphate battery so far can not be a rocket booster for the electric vehicle industry, its fundamental reason is also the cost (of course, the entire power battery industry are facing the same problem).

“The cost price of a piece of lithium iron phosphate is 10-12 yuan, and the market price is about 20 yuan. Before we cooperated with a car company, we provided batteries for an electric vehicle and installed 6000 lithium iron phosphate batteries.” Wang Tong Although the model may not be mass-produced, the manufacturer of the vehicle has already achieved a cost of only 120,000 yuan in terms of batteries.

According to the results of the “China Electric Vehicle Industry Status Survey Questionnaire” of China Times, 37% of respondents believe that improving battery technology and reducing purchase costs are the most effective means to promote the marketization of electric vehicles.

However, raising the level of technology and reducing costs are by no means a one-time event.

"The low yield of lithium iron phosphate batteries and the poor batch-to-batch stability (ie, consistency) are the key factors that limit the cost reduction." A domestic lithium-ion battery company's technical staff said, "If the yield of lithium iron phosphate batteries can be Increased to 90%, then the cost will be reduced by about 50%."

“The 6,000 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries are somewhat exaggerated, but a battery pack requires at least hundreds of batteries. While maintaining the performance of so many single batteries is consistent, it is difficult, and the consistency will affect the overall life of the battery pack.” The technician said that the consistency of the battery produced under the current conditions resulted in a battery life of more than 2,000 times and a battery life of only 500 times. "During the preparation of lithium iron phosphate, divalent iron is easily oxidized and crystal growth is difficult to control. How to prevent the oxidation of divalent iron during heat treatment is the key point to improve the yield."

This description may be too professional, but the technical status of domestic lithium iron phosphate batteries is indeed not optimistic. In the survey results released two years ago by Deutsche Bank, "the vehicle companies are most willing to cooperate with the development of automotive lithium batteries," none of China's lithium battery manufacturers were short-listed.

The deciding factor is also the separator. In the cost of constituting a lithium ion battery (including lithium iron phosphate), the positive electrode material and the separators each account for approximately 1/3. Although the data provided by Henan Huanyu Company shows that at present domestic enterprises produce barrier films costing RMB 6 per square meter, and imported barrier film is RMB 12 per square meter, but imported barrier film still dominates the market. According to a research report by Guolian Securities, domestic separators have only been available since 2005, but they are mainly supplied to low-end markets such as digital electronics.

“The main difference between domestic isolation membranes and foreign excellent isolation membranes is that they are poorly made in China. The use of domestic isolation membranes will lead to unstable cell quality.” Chairman of Henan Huanyu Li Middle East said that the isolation membrane technology is not as difficult as it is supposed to be, but It takes a long time for accumulated technical experience. "For the diaphragm industry, which is currently buoyed by domestic investment, Li said that no matter how much money is spent, it is difficult to introduce all foreign technologies. "There is a lot of time when the experience is accumulated. ”

Patent walls that cannot be bypassed will certainly not be sold, and people would prefer to finance or sell them. A director of a key institute in China, who did not wish to be named, clarified the obstacles to the development of the domestic battery industry. Greater barriers - patents.

“We just follow suit, cheaper than others, but these are not enough. Nissan LEAF (leaving wind) has no innovation in the electrical, electronic control, but the battery structure of the wind is 'blade', and domestic still like The traditional battery uses the same block type. If the 'blade' structure succeeds in the future, will the Chinese infringe upon patent infringement?”

This statement is not alarmist. In fact, Li Zhongdong and several domestic battery manufacturers had just filed a lawsuit with the patent holder of lithium iron phosphate battery two months ago. "We win in a trial." Li said.

The patent dispute on lithium iron phosphate batteries has lasted for a full decade, involving many countries and companies such as the United States, Japan, Germany, and Canada, and today China's battery companies have also joined this mess.

Li Zhongzhong revealed that in March of this year, under the leadership of the China Battery Industry Association, 10 domestic battery manufacturers, including Huanyu, Lishen and BYD, came together with the Quebec company in Canada (a commercial licensing organization for lithium iron phosphate batteries, owned by the University of Texas, USA). The original patent filed a lawsuit, and the litigation focused on whether the principle of lithium iron phosphate battery belongs to the category of patent protection.

One day in May, the Beijing Intermediate People’s Court won the first-instance judgment, which means that at least at this stage, China, like European companies, can freely develop and produce lithium iron phosphate batteries.

For the first instance, Li Zhongzhong said that in the expectation, “The principle of Lithium Iron Phosphate is somewhat similar to that of winemaking. Various types of alcohol are composed of alcohol, water, and impurities. Lithium iron phosphate is also the same. Materials contain 10%-15% of the total. Impurities, it is the difference in impurities, resulting in different battery performance and life, but the Americans can not therefore not allow the Chinese people to use." Li said in the Middle East, the first trial after losing the case, the Quebec company has asked the attorney to sue again. This patent dispute is still continuing in China. “Whenever the final decision is made, it is not clear to us. We must first win in China and we must go abroad in the future.”

Although Li Middle East did not say it, the reason for letting them win the first instance is that the University of Texas currently only applies for patent protection in the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Canada, and does not apply for a patent in China. Shen Yinuoguo’s analysts worry that in the future, China’s lithium iron phosphate batteries will encounter patent risks once they are exported to the United States.

Compared with foreign mainstream companies, domestic battery companies have scarce "original patents," and based on this, there are many redeveloped "utility model" patents. "As soon as the market scales up, like the VCD of that year, patent-owned companies will grow from Taiwan's domestically produced VCDs are drawn in." The director of the institute mentioned above is not worried about the future of the battery industry.

Glossary Lithium iron phosphate battery: Lithium iron phosphate battery refers to the use of lithium iron phosphate as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, with high energy density, fast charging and long cycle times, safety and other technical features.

Battery separator: It is a microporous and porous film. Its function is to isolate the electrons to avoid the short circuit between the positive and negative electrodes and let the ions pass through freely. When the battery rises abnormally, it also needs the isolation film to close the original. The pores of the ion channels prevent the explosion caused by the continuous increase in temperature. Therefore, the strength and thickness of the separator itself determine the factors such as battery capacity, cycle life, and safety.