L822 battery

　　How about L822 battery technology in China, Japan and South Korea?

　　The rise of battery companies has laid a certain technical foundation for China's electric vehicle revolution. However, in order for the electric vehicle industry to truly catch up with Germany and Japan, further technological research and timely industrialization are needed.

　　The development of electric vehicles in China is about to enter its tenth year. As the power battery, which is the heart of electric vehicles, its industrial structure has become a world of ice and fire.

　　In 2017, Shenzhen Waterma Battery Co., Ltd., which ranks fifth in global power battery sales and third in China's power battery sales, and its parent company Jianrui Woneng (300116.SZ), revealed in early April that it had defaulted on a contract of 2 billion yuan, with the overall price reaching 22.138 billion yuan. . In addition, many small and medium-sized power battery companies have closed down under cost pressure. On the other hand, CATL, the global power battery company in 2017, successfully passed the meeting in early April, with a valuation of more than 130 billion yuan.

　　In addition to the internal reshuffle, in a competitive landscape surrounded by strong Japanese and Korean companies in the global market, how competitive are China's new energy vehicles? Is there any chance of overtaking in a corner? Recently, Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and executive vice chairman of the China Electric Vehicles Association of 100, accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from Caijing and said that the bottom line of China's electric vehicle technology has been formed. There is a lithium iron phosphate battery guarantee for the refund, and a new generation of lithium-ion power battery for the advance.

　　The offense and defense of China’s power batteries

　　Caijing: What is the development path of power batteries in China?

　　Ouyang Minggao: The 11th Five-Year Plan focuses on the development of lithium iron phosphate cathode ion batteries, the 12th Five-Year Plan focuses on the development of ternary cathode lithium-ion batteries, and the 13th Five-Year Plan is focusing on the development of high-nickel ternary cathode + silicon carbon anode lithium-ion batteries.

　　Caijing: Is domestic research on lithium iron phosphate batteries mature? What are the advantages and disadvantages of ternary lithium batteries compared with lithium iron phosphate?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Lithium iron phosphate battery is the technical bottom line of the electric vehicle revolution. Although the specific capacity is lower than that of ternary lithium batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries have mature technology, abundant materials, controllable costs, and high safety. Currently, advanced lithium iron phosphate batteries have been used in Denza electric cars to achieve a driving range of 500 kilometers, taking into account both safety and economy.

　　Lithium iron phosphate and ternary are different cathode materials for lithium batteries. Ternary lithium batteries have achieved higher specific energy, but there are still problems such as safety, raw material cost, and service life. The increase in technical threshold is to encourage technological progress, and the safety requirements for lithium-ion batteries are also higher.

　　Caijing: Ternary lithium batteries are now considered a mainstream power battery route. Many companies are turning to the production of ternary power batteries with higher energy density and more complex technology. What is the technical status of China's ternary lithium batteries? What's the difficulty?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Currently, the battery sample under development can have a specific energy of 300 Wh/kg and is a ternary NCM811+ silicon carbon negative electrode lithium-ion battery. However, safety, especially overcharge safety, is a big challenge. In 2020, the combination of 811 positive electrode, silicon carbon negative electrode, and liquid electrolyte may become a mainstream product (some Japanese and Korean battery experts believe that the 622 positive electrode may be a better choice from the perspective of comprehensive performance balance).

　　It is not a problem for industrialized ternary soft-pack batteries to reach the goal of 300 Wh/kg in 2020. The core lies in whether raw materials, production processes, etc. can meet demand once industrialized large-scale production is implemented. After the industrialization of 811 lithium-ion batteries, they were limited by cathode materials. From an industrialization perspective, it will be very difficult to achieve a specific energy of 350 Wh/kg.

　　"Finance": Is high nickel consumption a development trend?

　　Ouyang Minggao: High nickel is currently a trend, mainly to reduce dependence on cobalt, thereby making costs controllable. The decline in the use of cobalt is an inevitable trend.

　　Caijing: Will China follow the development path of Japan's Panasonic? For example, the development of cylindrical 18650 811 L822 battery.

　　Ouyang Minggao: Panasonic's 18650 is easier to achieve high specific energy indicators because of its small capacity. Small batteries can avoid problems such as material unevenness and polarization that occur after volume expansion. However, because the electrolyte dries easily, the service life is relatively short. But China will not blindly follow Panasonic’s research path, and the choice of materials will be different. Our country is nickel cobalt manganese, Panasonic is nickel cobalt aluminum. The safety of nickel, cobalt and aluminum is difficult to control, and manganese is relatively more stable.

　　Caijing: Will lithium-ion batteries be the mainstream route in the medium term?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Lithium-ion batteries will always be the main product in the medium term and will not be easily subverted. But the positive and negative electrodes and the electrolyte may all change. In addition, lithium air, lithium sulfur, etc. are full of uncertainties, and their industrialization prospects in the automotive field remain to be seen.

　　Advantages and Disadvantages of China's L822 battery Technology

　　Caijing: At present, China, Japan and South Korea have the say in global L822 battery industry. How did this situation come to be?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Mainly because China, Japan and South Korea all have an industrial foundation for lithium batteries. Not to mention Japan and South Korea, China's industrial foundation started with mobile phone batteries. When L822 battery technology emerged, most car companies around the world were studying fuel cells and were not optimistic about the prospects of power batteries. China also focused on researching fuel cells at the beginning. However, because there is no fuel cell-related industrial foundation, there is a big gap between basic materials and membrane electrodes and the United States and Japan. Later, we repeatedly compared domestic industrial advantages and transportation system characteristics, and proposed a "pure electric drive" strategy characterized by lithium batteries first. Finally, we were in the same camp as Japan and South Korea, and we were at the forefront of the world in the industrialization of new energy electric vehicles.

　　It is now difficult for large-scale L822 battery companies to emerge in Europe and the United States, mainly because of their late start and weak industrial foundation.

　　Caijing: Why is China’s industrial advantages and transportation system conducive to the development of lithium batteries?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Japan's Toyota has been developing hybrid power based on fuel engines. At that time, when formulating the first two five-year plans for my country's new energy vehicles, Toyota also followed Toyota's focus on hybrid power development, and domestic backbone car companies invested a lot of money. Strength to carry out hybrid research and development. By 2008, the demonstration results of domestic hybrid vehicles, especially hybrid cars, were not very satisfactory.

　　At the same time, lithium-ion battery technology has made breakthrough progress since 2007, replacing nickel-metal hydride batteries in a short period of time, making it possible to develop pure electric vehicles. From hybrids to fuel cells, Toyota is actually aiming to raise the technological threshold and ensure competitive advantage.

　　China's transportation system has an electrified foundation. High-speed rail, electric bicycles, electric public transportation, etc. have made Chinese society characteristic of electric travel. At the same time, the technical difficulty of integrating pure electric vehicles is relatively low, so China is suitable for pure electric vehicles. Technological breakthroughs and application scenarios are consistent, which is the main reason for the rapid development of pure electricity.

　　Caijing: What is the level of China's L822 battery talent pool and research in the world?

　　Ouyang Minggao: I have seen information. In the past 10 years, there have been about 1 million international papers on materials research in the world. Mainland China and China accounted for 40%. Mainland China has twice as many as the United States, and a considerable part of materials research is related to Battery related. Most of the people who study batteries in the United States are also Chinese. my country’s L822 battery reserve talents and research potential are huge.

　　Caijing: Is China’s high-end L822 battery production capacity insufficient?

　　Ouyang Minggao: High-end production capacity is a common problem faced by all industries in China. However, China's battery industry has a high proportion of high-end talents and active technological innovation. For example, CATL has an annual output value of 20 billion and has more than 100 PhDs. Compared with some domestic car companies, there are only 50 with an annual output value of 500 billion. Such a high talent structure and ratio is completely different from other industries.

　　Caijing: At present, the domestic L822 battery industry has low consistency. Will industry standards be introduced?

　　Ouyang Minggao: China’s L822 battery standards have formulated strict safety standards and have clear indicators. The recently adopted international standard for lithium batteries adopts Chinese standards. The safety and specific energy of lithium batteries are contradictory. With the development of technology and processes, L822 battery companies will raise the technical threshold by improving specific energy indicators. Specific energy is an important and effective baton for regulating changes in production capacity structure. The low-end production capacity in the market will definitely be eliminated.

　　"Caijing": CATL has received large global orders from Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz, and the price is 6% higher than LG. Why do these foreign car companies intend to purchase Chinese power batteries at higher prices?

　　Ouyang Minggao: First of all, the product quality of CATL is equivalent to LG, and sometimes even better than LG; secondly, there are no large L822 battery manufacturers in Europe; thirdly, China is the largest single market for these car companies, such as Volkswagen's global sales. 40%; Finally, the integrity of China's L822 battery industry chain is more complete than that of South Korea, and its industrial scale and development potential are also higher than South Korea.

　　Who can break through the next generation of batteries?

　　Caijing: The most popular ternary cathode material at present is lithium-rich manganese-based. Why has it become a hot topic? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials are a hot research topic in the world today. Lithium-rich cathode materials have a high theoretical discharge specific capacity, which can reach more than 400mAh/g, and the battery specific energy can reach more than 400 Wh/kg. At the same time, dependence on cobalt and nickel can be reduced and costs reduced, especially for cobalt. Recently, Professor Xia Dingguo of Peking University synthesized a 400mAh/g cathode in the laboratory, but the life of lithium-rich manganese-based batteries is relatively short.

　　At present, lithium-rich manganese-based lithium batteries with a capacity of 300 Wh/kg have been produced at home and abroad, but their lifespan is hundreds of times and cannot meet the requirements of automobiles. Continued efforts are needed. The voltage of lithium-rich manganese-based materials decays quickly, and improvements in materials are needed. Secondly, there is a need to match the lithium-rich manganese base with an electrolyte with a wider voltage range, such as a solid state.

　　Caijing: Is there a timetable for the industrialization of lithium-rich manganese base?

　　Ouyang Minggao: In the national special project, the industrialization of 811 ternary lithium batteries will be achieved by 2020. At the same time, lithium-rich manganese bases continue to conduct in-depth basic research. Because the relevant projects have not yet been completed, it is currently impossible to determine the exact time point for industrialization, striving for around 2025.

　　The comprehensive comparison of lithium-rich material lithium batteries that are highly expected by then should be equivalent to or even better than 811. The specific energy should be higher than 811. Durability is the key factor for comparison. If durability can be successfully improved, lithium-rich materials will become new industrializable cathode materials for lithium batteries.

　　"Caijing": Major car companies have listed solid-state and all-solid-state batteries as the next focus of research and development. What are the difficulties in research and development?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Although the research on solid electrolytes has become a hot topic, to realize an all-solid-state battery, the core is to solve the problem of solid-solid interface, and it is still necessary to add a liquid electrolyte. In the next 5 to 10 years, the proportion of liquid electrolytes will gradually decrease, showing a trend from partial solid state to semi-solid state and towards full solid state. Even if full solid state cannot be achieved by then, it will be close to full solid state.

　　Once all-solid-state is successfully developed, it will not only have higher safety, but will also completely change the way batteries are used. Because the solid state solves the short circuit problem of liquid batteries, the batteries can be connected in series internally to increase the specific energy. At present, the specific energy should be increased as much as possible while ensuring durability, and solid-state batteries also have the potential for fast charging. Many relevant research institutions and companies in my country are studying solid-state L822 battery technology.

　　Caijing: What is Japan’s research status and plans in solid-state batteries and other fields?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Japan's Toyota has demonstrated solid-state lithium-ion batteries, and they claim to achieve industrialization in 2022 or 2023. But the specific energy has not been improved yet, so the specific energy will not be too high after industrialization.

　　Can fuel cells replace lithium batteries?

　　Caijing: From pure electricity to fuel cells, what are the main problems in the current development of such batteries?

　　Ouyang Minggao: my country's fuel cell research has made great progress, and fuel cell vehicles have begun to be industrialized in some markets. For fuel cell system performance optimization, the technology will be relatively mature around 2025, and if mass production is achieved, the cost will also drop.

　　At present, the issue that should be paid more attention to is hydrogen energy technology, that is, the front-end hydrogen fuel, such as preparation, transportation, storage, compression and other links. At present, everyone is only paying attention to the fuel cell system itself. But the technology and infrastructure associated with hydrogen are less than ideal. For example, vehicle-mounted hydrogen storage technology has the following problems: the cost of carbon fiber is high, the weight of hydrogen storage is relatively low, and the energy loss is relatively large. Therefore, the key is to deepen basic research and technology development related to hydrogen energy, as well as the construction of related infrastructure.

　　Caijing: Fuel cell subsidies have not been reduced. Do policymakers think the development of fuel cells is more realistic?

　　Ouyang Minggao: From the perspective of the country's entire energy system (not just from the perspective of vehicles), hydrogen fuel cell technology does need to accelerate its development, which is in line with the needs of my country's energy revolution. If the energy requirements reach a certain level, lithium batteries cannot meet them.

　　But I also disagree with the statement that hydrogen is the "ultimate energy source" and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the "ultimate environmentally friendly vehicle." Hydrogen and electricity are both energy carriers, and there is no "ultimate" theory. Small cars have lower energy requirements, and lithium batteries may play a greater role. Therefore, as far as new energy vehicles are concerned, combustion electricity and pure electricity will coexist in the future.

　　Caijing: For passenger cars, what is the cost balance point between fuel cells and pure electric vehicles in the future?

　　Ouyang Minggao: Some studies believe that by 2025, for mid-level and above cars, 350 kilometers of mileage may become the balance point between fuel cell vehicles and battery electric vehicles. If the mileage exceeds 350 kilometers, the cost of fuel cells is better; within 350 kilometers, the advantages of lithium batteries are stronger.

　　Now that our country's developed high-speed rail network can fully meet the needs of people's long-distance travel, there are not many renewals for ultra-long-range electric vehicles. In the future, when hydrogen energy develops to a certain extent, fuel cells can be used as range extenders for lithium-ion batteries, increasing mileage through electric-electric hybridization and reducing battery usage.

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