A few days ago, Kung Fu Motors wrote about some recent automotive trends in the automotive industry. Among them, the country has made it clear that it will no longer mention the "combustion ban timetable". The future Chinese automobile market will be dominated by energy-saving vehicles and pure electric vehicles.
This is a good opportunity for hybrid cars. Especially some of the current hybrid vehicles do have great advantages in terms of ease of use and cost.
Many readers then responded, saying that they didn’t like hybrid cars because they were worried that the cost of replacing batteries would be too high in the future. Many pure electric vehicles cost more than buying a new car once the battery is replaced. After all, there are subsidies for new cars but not for battery replacement, so the second-hand residual value of pure electric vehicles is often disastrous.
So how much does it cost to replace the battery of a hybrid car? Let Kung Fu Motors do the math for you.
1. How much does a power battery cost?
Everyone knows that the cost of power batteries is very high. Not to mention the ternary lithium batteries used in electric vehicles, even the batteries of ordinary "small electric donkeys" are valuable, and even spawned a group of specialized People who make a living by stealing batteries, such as the famous "Zhou" in Guangxi.
Guoxuan Hi-Tech is one of the top power battery manufacturers in China. This company has disclosed the manufacturing cost of batteries. The cost of their power lithium batteries is about 0.8 yuan/Wh, of which the material cost accounts for about 81.3%. %, energy cost, labor cost, and manufacturing cost account for 18.7%, and the selling price is about 1 yuan/Wh.
In other words, for a 50kWh battery used in electric vehicles, the battery manufacturer sells it to the automobile manufacturer for about 50,000 yuan. Of course, the materials are different, such as lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary lithium batteries, and the prices will be different, but this is generally the concept.
But that is only the price of the battery to the manufacturer. The manufacturer will also add a price when it goes to a 4S store. The 4S store will also add a price when selling it to users. Plus labor costs, the price may be even higher. . For a battery that costs 50,000 yuan, a more conscientious manufacturer may ask for 70,000 yuan, while a more serious manufacturer may ask for 100,000 yuan.
Hybrid vehicles have smaller batteries than pure electric vehicles, but how much smaller depends on how they technically achieve hybridization.
2. For Toyota and Honda hybrids, is it equivalent to replacing two start-stop batteries?
In fact, Toyota and Honda seldom talk about power batteries, because in their view, whether it is the engine, E-CVT power distributor, or power battery, they are the key to its entire hybrid system. part. The role of the battery in their hybrid system is actually relatively small, so there is no need to mention it specifically.
Honda has disclosed that the current Accord Hybrid uses the third-generation IMMD hybrid system. The battery capacity has not changed compared to the previous generation, but the volume has been reduced by 32%, and the battery capacity is 1.3kWh. , also uses the relatively common ternary lithium battery.
So the cost for the manufacturer to purchase this battery is about 1,300 yuan. It is estimated that the price of replacing the battery is about 2,000 yuan, or a little more.
Toyota uses nickel-metal hydride batteries. In fact, nickel-metal hydride batteries are rarely used in car power batteries because the energy density of this battery is not high enough and is not enough for Toyota. Because like Honda, Toyota's hybrid system actually doesn't rely much on batteries.
Toyota has not disclosed the power battery capacity of its models. It is not enough for foreigners to compare the Camry Twin Engine and Accord Hybrid. The battery capacity of the Camry Twin Engine should be slightly larger, about 1.5kWh. .
However, considering that the cost of nickel-metal hydride batteries is lower, it is estimated that the price of a battery replacement should be similar to that of Honda's same-class models.
Toyota and Honda have adopted the battery strategy of shallow discharge and frequent charging. The battery of Toyota's THS system only uses 40% of its capacity and stops discharging when the battery capacity is below 60%, while Honda's is 55%. This allows their batteries to reserve more than 50% of power most of the time, which also allows their batteries to cycle more and have a longer life. The old Toyota Prius can basically go for more than ten years without replacing the battery.
So these two companies have given long battery warranties. Firstly, it is because the system itself is not so dependent on the battery. Secondly, even if it is replaced, it only costs the money to start and stop the battery, so the manufacturers dare to If you boldly tell the truth, consumers don’t have to worry.
3. Song Pro?DM and Tanyue GTE are equivalent to changing gearboxes?
Toyota and Honda’s HEV technology is very powerful, but there are too many patent traps, and policy subsidies are not available in most places, so other car manufacturers use it less.
In China, plug-in hybrids are more popular because they can be green-labeled and driven as pure fuel vehicles, which is actually more convenient to use.
BYD Song Pro DM uses a plug-in hybrid. Its power battery capacity is 15.7kWh and it can run 81km on pure electricity. Tanyue GTE also uses a plug-in hybrid. Its power battery capacity is 13kWh and it can run 54km on pure electricity.
These two are actually easy to calculate. The battery price of Song Pro?DM is about 15,700, and the battery price of Tanyue GTE is 13,000. Including labor, 4S store premiums, etc., it is estimated that the replacement will be almost the same. The price of the battery is around 20,000, which is equivalent to replacing a gearbox?
It must be said that the price of battery replacement for plug-in hybrid vehicles is indeed not cheap. But considering that plug-in hybrid vehicles can be green-labeled, in big cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen, it can be said to save nearly 100,000 yuan. Their fuel consumption is also much lower than that of pure fuel vehicles. For example, the actual fuel consumption of Tanyue GTE is around 6L/100km, and its acceleration capability is equivalent to the fuel version of Tanyue 330.
If there are charging conditions, whether it is a fixed charging pile or a public charging pile that is more convenient to use around, the price-performance ratio of plug-in hybrid vehicles is still acceptable.
4. Ideal ONE, a problem-solving expert’s hidden worries
Compared with hybrids from Toyota and Honda, Ideal ONE is definitely a problem-solving expert. It uses an extended-range hybrid system that can generate electricity through a 1.2T three-cylinder engine and then drive the vehicle.
So in fact it does not rely on charging, just like Toyota and Honda. But then there would be no subsidy, so it is equipped with a large battery, allowing the Ideal ONE to run for 180km like a pure electric vehicle, and to run continuously without charging like an HEV model.
A while ago, Li Xiang had a quarrel with Volkswagen executives. Although Volkswagen executives said that the Ideal solution was technologically backward and they would not consider it, they also admitted that the Ideal ONE has certain value from a bicycle perspective. Regardless of the integration quality of this solution, Ideal ONE does cater better to policies and current needs.
But when it comes to battery replacement, it is definitely a pain point for the Ideal ONE. It is equipped with a large battery with a capacity of 40.5kWh, which is very close to that of some small pure electric vehicles. In other words, from the perspective of the manufacturer, the battery of Ideal ONE costs more than 40,000 yuan. If you replace the battery, the price may be more than 60,000 yuan, and this does not take into account too much premium.
5. Kung Fu Pai Chen
Both Lideal ONE and Tanyue GTE provide an 8-year 120,000-kilometer battery warranty. The Song Pro?DM has an 8-year 150,000-kilometer warranty. It provides a 10-year and 200,000-kilometer battery warranty. Relatively speaking, the warranty policy for HEV models is indeed more "horizontal". The reason is also very simple. Their batteries cost less, and they are all shallowly discharged. The battery life is longer, and it is easier for manufacturers to "cover the bottom line".
Hybrid vehicles do have great advantages in terms of use. They have good acceleration and are fuel-efficient. Commuting in urban areas is a great enjoyment. But please also pay attention to their battery replacement prices. If you need to replace the battery at your own expense, how much cost will you need to bear. The most terrible thing is that this will directly affect the residual value of the vehicle.
Another point is that the price of power batteries is actually declining year by year. Maybe in 8 or 10 years, the price of batteries will be only one-third of what it is now, and then the pressure to replace batteries will be much less. Judging from the current trend, this is not impossible, right.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.