Just as the two mainstream power battery technologies, lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium, are leading the market, solid-state batteries have accelerated to occupy an important position in the strategic layout of car companies.
Hyundai Motor officials recently stated that Hyundai and Kia are cooperating with Factorial Energy to test Factorial’s new solid-state battery technology; South Korean battery manufacturer SK Innovation has invested 30 million in Solid Power, a solid-state battery developer supported by Ford Motor Company. US dollars to jointly produce automotive-grade solid-state batteries; solid-state battery company Huineng Technology announced the completion of a new round of financing, with a financing amount of US$326 million (approximately 2.085 billion yuan). Investors include Primavera Capital, Danfeng Capital and Softbank China; Foxconn announced that it will launch the first solid-state battery for pure electric vehicles in 2024.
Industry insiders analyze that compared with existing automotive power battery technology, solid-state batteries have overwhelming advantages in safety and energy density, and are regarded by the industry as the most effective way to alleviate the "pain points" of electric vehicles. Technical route, this is also the main factor why many companies have invested in solid-state batteries. However, after years of calls, the bottlenecks of solid-state batteries that are difficult to overcome in a short period of time in terms of technology, process, materials, cost, etc. still hinder their large-scale mass production.
"The transition from electric vehicle battery technology to solid-state battery technology is inevitable, and batteries, like the engines of fuel vehicles, are the core competitiveness of car companies in the future. It is necessary to invest heavily in advance." Automobile data Factory founder Zhang Xiaoliang said.
Many companies are laying out the solid-state battery track
"We are promoting the layout of new technologies including all-solid-state batteries." On November 4, the Secretary of the Board of Directors of CATL was interacting with investors. time indicates. According to Qichacha’s information, CATL and its subsidiaries have applied for a number of solid-state electrolyte-related patents.
Not only power battery suppliers represented by CATL are deploying solid-state batteries, but since 2021, many mainstream domestic and foreign vehicle companies have released strategic plans for solid-state batteries.
For example, at the end of October 2021, the Korean car company Hyundai Kia Group and Factorial Energy announced that they were cooperating to develop Factorial's new car-grade solid-state battery. Hyundai-Kia Group and Factorial Energy will integrate Factorial technology at the battery, module and system levels for vehicle-level integration; South Korean battery manufacturer SK Innovation will invest US$30 million in Solid Power, a solid-state battery developer supported by Ford Motor Company, to jointly produce vehicles Regulation-grade solid-state batteries.
At the same time, capital also came in succession after hearing the news. Solid-state battery company Huineng Technology announced on October 29 the completion of a new round of financing, with a financing amount of US$326 million (approximately 2.085 billion yuan). Investors include Primavera Capital, Danfeng Capital and SoftBank China.
As early as early May, the BMW Group announced that it would expand joint development with Ford and other investment institutions and solid-state battery technology manufacturer Solid Power, and invest US$130 million in low-cost, high-energy solid-state batteries. technology. Domestic and foreign mainstream car companies such as Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford, Great Wall, and BYD have deployed solid-state battery technology a few years ago by investing in start-up R&D companies and conducting self-research.
Moreover, not only at the strategic level, many car companies have also announced mass production schedules.
Public information shows that Toyota will launch a solid-state battery in 2021, which can provide 500 kilometers of driving range. In the field of solid-state batteries, Toyota is a globally recognized powerful player and has more than 1,000 solid-state battery-related products. patent. Volkswagen plans to start trial production with partners as early as 2022.
BMW hopes to start testing solid-state battery electric prototypes by 2025, and put solid-state battery electric vehicles into large-scale mass production and put them on the market by 2030. Hyundai Motor, in cooperation with battery companies such as Samsung SDI, SKI and LG, plans to trial-produce electric vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries in 2025 and achieve full mass production in 2030. Foxconn, a cross-border car manufacturer, also announced that it will launch the first solid-state battery for pure electric vehicles in 2024.
Among domestic car companies, Honeycomb Energy, a subsidiary of Great Wall Motors, has begun to develop solid-state batteries as early as 2019 and plans to launch an all-solid-state electrolyte battery in 2030 with an energy density of 450 Wh/kg-500W. hour/kg. In addition, BYD, NIO, etc. have also put mass production of solid-state batteries on the agenda.
Large-scale mass production is not possible in a short period of time
"Solid-state (battery) technology has changed the rules of the game." Frank Blom, head of battery development at Volkswagen, once said.
Currently, with the support of policy guidance and continuous optimization of technology, the sales and penetration rate of global new energy vehicles are accelerating, and the development prospects are very broad.
Public data shows that from January to September this year, global sales of new energy passenger vehicles in the broad sense reached 6.21 million units, of which global sales of plug-in hybrid, pure electric, and fuel cell new energy vehicles in the narrow sense reached 4 million units. , a year-on-year increase of 196, while the cumulative sales of new energy vehicles in the Chinese market during the same period were 2.157 million units, a year-on-year increase of 185.3.
Shengang Securities predicts that China’s new energy vehicle sales are likely to exceed 3 million units in 2021, while global electric vehicle sales will exceed 6 million units, with a year-on-year growth rate of 74%; and are expected to exceed 3 million units in 2022 and 2023. The annual growth rate continues to be above 65%. By 2025, the global proportion of new energy vehicles is expected to exceed 50%.
In this context, power batteries, as the core components of new energy vehicles, have become the strategic commanding heights that all parties are competing for.
At present, the two mainstream power battery technologies that occupy almost the entire new energy vehicle market are lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium, and the market competition between the two is surging, and each has its own strengths.
Looking at solid-state batteries, the industry regards them as a new generation of power batteries that can solve the industry's pain points. The so-called solid-state battery refers to a power battery that uses solid electrolyte, and lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary lithium batteries are both lithium batteries with liquid electrolyte.
Li Jianping, a researcher at Jiangsu New Energy Automobile Industry Development Research Institute, introduced to the media that the advantages of solid-state batteries are: first, they are safer. During the charging process, liquid electrolytes may cause lithium dendrites to grow and puncture the separator, causing battery damage. There is no problem of short circuit, but the solid electrolyte does not have the problem of electrolyte leakage, no side reactions at high temperatures, and no combustion due to gas leakage. Second, the energy density is high. All-solid-state electrolyte batteries can directly use metallic lithium as the negative electrode, which can greatly reduce the amount of negative electrode materials and significantly improve the energy density of the entire battery. Third, the cycle performance is strong. Under ideal conditions, the cycle performance of solid-state batteries can reach about 45,000 times. Fourth, the scope of application has been expanded. The solid electrolyte gives solid-state lithium batteries the characteristics of compact structure, adjustable scale, and high design flexibility. It is currently basically guaranteed to be safe and stable in use between -25 and 60 degrees above zero.
In other words, solid-state batteries have longer driving range, higher safety, and short charging time, which are more in line with the current market demand for electric vehicles. Some insiders mentioned in the article that solid-state batteries can extend the mileage of a car by more than 50%, the battery life is expected to easily exceed 1,000km, and the battery can be charged to 80% of power in 15 minutes.
When talking about the "road to industrialization of next-generation power batteries", Huang Xuejie, vice chairman of the China Battery Industry Association, said that future power battery technology will be all-solid-state batteries, which is a revolutionary technology. Ministry of Science and Technology The key research and development plan for new energy vehicles hopes to develop all-solid-state batteries through principle innovation. When the next generation of 600Wh/kg batteries is produced, the power batteries will not only be able to drive cars, but also be able to meet the power needs of electric aircraft.
The industry has high hopes for solid-state batteries to solve industry pain points, but solid-state batteries are still unable to achieve large-scale mass production applications in a short period of time.
In addition, Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry and British chemist Stanley Whittingham once pointed out more pointedly: "The most difficult part of manufacturing solid-state batteries is the need to simultaneously meet the requirements of high energy density, fast charging, and long-term operation." Requirements for cycle life and wide temperature range operation”
The industry generally predicts that solid-state batteries are likely to achieve large-scale mass production in the next 5-10 years. Judging from the timetable, most companies also hope to do so. Achieve large-scale mass production of solid-state batteries around 2030. Zhou Bo believes that it is expected to be the first to be used in small-scale commercial vehicles in 2025. In the next 7-8 years, solid-state batteries will not have a big impact on existing lithium batteries.