Electric Zhijia News, it is reported that Tesla is in in-depth negotiations with CATL New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "CATL") to discuss the use of wireless technology in electric vehicles at the Shanghai Gigafactory. Cobalt battery matters. If achieved, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries will be included in Tesla's production line for the first time, which is expected to reduce the production costs of related models.
In the field of power batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary batteries are the two major technical routes. Currently, electric vehicle manufacturers usually use ternary batteries such as nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) batteries and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries in passenger cars. This type of battery has higher energy density and longer endurance, but the cobalt element is also one of the most expensive metals in power batteries.
Sources revealed that compared with ternary batteries, the production cost of lithium iron phosphate batteries is expected to "fall by more than double-digit percentages." Another source said it is unclear to what extent Tesla plans to use lithium iron phosphate batteries, but it has no plans to stop using its current nickel-cobalt-aluminum batteries.
It is worth noting that the use of lithium iron phosphate batteries will also help Tesla CEO Elon Musk fulfill his promise in 2018 to reduce the use of cobalt in Tesla to "Almost zero." Musk said at the financial report meeting in January that Tesla will share its future battery strategy and technology at "Battery Day" in April, including details of battery cooperation with CATL and LG Chem.
In response to the above matters, CATL stated that the company "has the ability to provide appropriate and competitive solutions based on customer needs and bring value to customers." Tesla related people responded to the Securities Times and stated that it is true that Tesla has a cooperation agreement with CATL. The lithium iron phosphate batteries produced by CATL itself do not contain cobalt, but they did not comment on whether the cooperation will eventually come to fruition. In addition, Tesla is expected to announce specific information such as the ingredients of its independently developed new batteries at the April meeting. On February 3, CATL announced that it planned to sign an agreement with Tesla and Tesla (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. to supply lithium-ion power battery products to Tesla. The supply validity period is from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022.
What exactly is the "cobalt-free battery" of CATL?
According to electric experts, CATL has adopted a technical route that focuses on ternary batteries and pays equal attention to lithium iron phosphate. In order to improve the density and safety of lithium iron phosphate batteries, CATL has been researching battery packaging technology to increase the volume utilization efficiency of battery packs and reduce assembly costs.
What exactly is CATL’s “cobalt-free battery”? Simply put, it is a lithium iron phosphate battery, but it uses CATL’s CTP technology. Electric Zhijia learned that at last year’s Frankfurt International Auto Show in Germany, CATL launched the CTP highly integrated power battery development platform (Cell To Pack), which eliminates the need for battery modules and directly integrates cells into battery packs. According to CATL, compared with traditional battery packs, CTP battery packs eliminate the need for assembly of battery modules. As a result, the number of battery pack components will be reduced by 40%, volume utilization will be increased by 15%-20%, and production efficiency will be improved. Increase by 50%, the energy density of the battery pack will increase by 10%-15%, and the manufacturing cost of the battery will be significantly reduced.
Advantages of CTP technology
As for the advantages of CTP technology, analysts from Guojun Securities said that the first is low cost. The essence of the CTP battery pack is still a lithium iron phosphate battery. Since it does not require cobalt metal, the cost is lower than that of the ternary lithium battery. The current price of the lithium iron phosphate battery on the market is 0.65 yuan/wh, which is much lower than the 0.85 yuan/wh of the ternary battery. CTP technology will further reduce the price of power batteries.
Secondly, it has good security. Lithium iron phosphate batteries rarely explode. What is known is that lithium iron phosphate batteries are widely used in buses with a large number of passengers. Third, increase battery energy density. Compared with ternary batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries have only one disadvantage, which is insufficient energy density. CTP technology can improve this shortcoming. Due to the reduction of battery pack production parts data, the energy density of the battery is expected to reach 200Wh/Kg. Finally, the rapid implementation of commercial applications. Previously, CATL and BAIC had reached strategic cooperation related to CTP applications.
Comparison between CATL CPT and BYD's "Blade Battery"
At the beginning of the year, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu revealed at the China Automobile 100 Forum that the "Blade Battery" developed by BYD will be launched in March this year. It was put into mass production for the first time in March and was installed on BYD's new model "Han". As for the essential difference between CATL's CTP and BYD's blade batteries, power battery experts in the industry said that BYD's "blade battery" solution does not have modules, while CATL's CTP solution does have modules, that is, a large module solution.
According to BYD's patent specification, the "blade battery" is a long battery cell solution. The length of the battery core is made almost the same as the width of the battery pack. The battery cells are arranged in close order along the entire length of the battery pack. arrangement. The size of the battery can be designed according to the car model. For example, A-class cars can also design short cells less than 0.6m. CATL’s CTP solution directly consists of multiple large-capacity cells to form a standardized battery pack, which can then be flexibly stacked to form a larger battery pack. Battery modules adapt to the energy storage needs of different car models.
It is worth mentioning that Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, once called BYD's "Blade Battery" and CATL's CTP battery solution the "most beautiful" battery technology innovations in 2019. Both are innovations at the battery system level, which greatly increase the energy density of battery packs, which is of great significance to increasing vehicle mileage, improving the safety of new energy vehicles, and reducing battery costs.
1. CATL patent: sleeve-type connection battery pack
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2. BYD patent: array assembled battery pack
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This article comes from Autohome Chejia The author does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.