In recent years, driven by the rapid development of new energy vehicles, the development speed of power batteries has been soaring. On January 16th, at the New Energy Industry Summit and the 2018 Seminar on the Development Direction of Power Batteries under the New Situation, Dr. Kai Zheng from China Automotive Technology Research Institute introduced that in 2017, the total supply of power batteries for new energy vehicles in China was 37.37 billion watt-hours, an increase of 33% year-on-year.

From the analysis, it is expected that in the coming years, more new energy vehicles will be equipped with ternary batteries, and the purchase of new energy vehicle models equipped with ternary batteries will become the main phenomenon.

The proportion of small-sized pure electric passenger vehicles is high

Data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in 2017, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in China reached 794,000 and 777,000 units respectively, increasing by 53.8% and 53.3% year-on-year.

Dr. Fang Kaizheng pointed out that thanks to the private market and the popularization of shared cars, the output of pure electric passenger vehicles increased by 83% year-on-year, and that of special-purpose vehicles rose by 163%. Based on the analysis of the production situation of pure electric passenger vehicles in 2017, from the perspective of classification, the proportion of small-sized pure electric passenger vehicles is still high. Among them, A00-class models account for 37%, A0-class models account for 34%, and A-class models account for 19%. At the same time, among these three levels of pure electric vehicle models, the application of ternary material batteries is at a high level.

The proportion of ternary battery supply has increased to 40%

According to Liu Yanlong, the secretary-general of the China Association of Battery Industry, among the total supply of over 37 billion watt-hours of power batteries for new energy vehicles in 2017, by vehicle type classification, the supply for passenger vehicles was approximately 13.9 billion watt-hours, accounting for nearly 38%. Passenger vehicles account for approximately 14.5 billion watt-hours, making up nearly 39%, while special-purpose vehicles account for nearly 23%.

Meanwhile, in terms of battery classification, lithium-ion batteries still hold a dominant position, with a supply volume of approximately 36.9 billion watt-hours in 2017, accounting for over 99% of the total supply volume. Among them, lithium iron phosphate accounts for more than 48%, and thanks to the high demand in the passenger car market and the special vehicle market, ternary batteries have grown rapidly. In 2017, the proportion of matching volume increased to 43%, becoming another major trend in the assembly of power batteries for new energy vehicles at present.

Lifespan is the foundation of power batteries

It is an undeniable fact that the subsidies for new energy vehicles have further declined in 2018. Under the new policy situation, higher demands have been put forward for the increase of battery unit storage capacity. However, it is believed that the high safety and long lifespan of products should be given more attention. Wang Zidong, the director of battery testing for the 863 Electric Vehicle Major Project, believes that safety, long lifespan and low cost are the issues that need to be addressed in the future without subsidies. Secretary-general Liu Yanlong also pointed out: "Whether the safety of the product and the lifespan of the system can meet the needs of users should be highly valued." It is hoped that leading enterprises can provide the market with higher-quality and safer power battery products.

At this summit, Tafel New Energy Technology, the organizer, released two new products: one is a 135Ah ternary square aluminum shell battery cell for the passenger car and special vehicle markets, with an energy density as high as 215Wh/kg and a cycle life of up to 3,000 times. The second is the 115Ah lithium iron phosphate battery cell for the energy storage and special vehicle markets, with a cycle life of up to 10,000 times. The design of Tafel battery cells in terms of energy density and service life has reached the industry level, attracting the attention of the attending guests.

Link: Ternary battery

The full name of the ternary battery is "ternary polymer lithium battery", which refers to a lithium battery that uses lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide as the ternary cathode material. Ternary batteries have a high energy density and a relatively long driving range, but their material stability is not as good as that of lithium iron phosphate batteries. Ternary lithium materials decompose at around 200℃, and the chemical reaction is more intense. In contrast, lithium iron phosphate decomposes at 700℃-800℃, does not release oxygen molecules like ternary lithium materials, and burns less vigorously.

Previously, lithium iron phosphate batteries were widely used in the production of new energy vehicles in China (which have the disadvantages of larger size, higher cost and lower energy density compared with ternary batteries). However, foreign new energy vehicles represented by Tesla have made ternary batteries increasingly valued in the market, and many domestic new energy vehicle enterprises have begun to launch models using ternary batteries.