Here, the rapid rise of the new energy vehicle market makes the news of insufficient battery supply emerge one after another, and the "battery shortage" seems to be more fierce than the "core shortage".
GF Securities predicted in the latest research report that according to the current capacity planning, the battery capacity gap is expected to ease in 2023; By 2025, this gap will continue to widen.
Over there, not long ago, a news that contemporary Ampere Technology sued AVIC Lithium for infringement made AVIC Lithium, a little-known second-tier battery company, attract the attention of the outside world together with contemporary Ampere Technology, which frequently made headlines.
Some analysts believe that the attack of Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. at this time has a certain relationship with the recent breakthrough of second-tier battery enterprises.
However, whatever the reason, there is no doubt that the fiery power battery market is bringing players a new round of development opportunities.
So under today's conditions, where is the second-line battery factory? Is it an opportunity to break through the blockade of contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. and BYD, or is it blown away by the rain in the fierce competition?
1, rising second line
According to the data released by China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, in the first half of this year, the installed capacity of China's power batteries reached 52.5GWh, up 200.3% year-on-year.
Compared with the same period in 2020, in the first half of this year, the market share of second-tier enterprises ranked 4- 10 reached 19.3%, which was significantly higher than last year.
Among them, the growth rate of companies such as AVIC Lithium Battery, Honeycomb Energy and Funeng Technology is even more alarming.
In 20 18, the annual installed capacity of AVIC lithium batteries was only 0.7 1GWh, ranking ninth in China.
In 20 19, AVIC lithium battery replaced Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. to become the largest power battery supplier for Guangzhou Automobile passenger cars. In 20 19 and 2020, the installed capacity will reach 1.49GWh and 3.55GWh respectively, ranking sixth and fourth in China.
In this global "battery shortage", the layout of AVIC lithium batteries has been further expanded.
At the beginning of this year, AVIC lithium battery successfully cooperated with SAIC-GM-Wuling and began to provide batteries for Hong Guang MINI EV. In April, the installed capacity of AVIC lithium battery once surpassed LG Chem, ranking third. Many people in the industry predict that its installed capacity in 20021will probably exceed that of LG Chem.
Faster than AVIC lithium battery, it is honeycomb energy with car enterprise background. Honeycomb Energy has made great progress since it was installed in April last year.
In August 2020, the installed capacity of honeycomb energy power battery rushed into the TOP20 for the first time, and then ranked in the top ten for five consecutive months.
In cooperation with Great Wall, Geely, Dongfeng and other enterprises, Honeycomb Energy achieved a year-on-year growth of 279 times in the first half of this year.
12 In July, Honeycomb Energy announced that it had reached an order with Stellantis Group with a total amount of about1600 million yuan, and won the PK with many suppliers such as Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd., BYD, Samsung and LG Chemical.
This year, their goal is to enter the ranks of domestic battery company TOP5.
Although the first-tier battery companies represented by contemporary Amperex Technology Co, Limited and BYD have an absolute advantage in market share, Ma Xiaoli, deputy secretary-general of China Automotive Power Battery Innovation Alliance, clearly stated in an interview that "the power battery market is huge now, and it is no longer the era when one or two companies dominate the world". In her view, it is the ideal industrial state to develop five more enterprises from the second echelon, 10.
Wang Zhikun, senior vice president of Honeycomb Energy, also believes that the 20021new energy automobile industry has entered a high-speed growth, which also means that the power battery industry has entered a real competition stage from this year, "the former head enterprises and new enterprises compete on the same starting line".
Therefore, in order to seize this round of development opportunities and seize the share, second-tier battery enterprises have also made great efforts in capacity planning recently.
In 202 1 year, the actual production capacity of AVIC lithium battery in mass production, construction and commissioning exceeded 100GWh, and the planned production capacity in 2022 was 200 GWh, and the planned production capacity in 2025 reached 300+GWh.
In the first half of this year, the new capacity of Honeycomb Energy also reached 90GWh, and the goal in 2025 is to reach 200GWh.
Guo Xuan Hi-Tech also plans to produce 80 GWh by 2023 and 100 GWh by 2025. In addition, in the first half of this year, Funeng Technology and Yiwei Lithium Energy also started or signed new projects.
2. How to survive in the technological competition?
However, despite the broad prospects, the lawsuit of contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. against AVIC lithium battery has once again surfaced the technical competition among battery companies.
According to Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd., AVIC lithium battery is suspected of infringing its invention patent and utility model patent, and the alleged infringement covers all its products. This means that if Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. wins the case, AVIC lithium battery will face the risk of banning the sale of all products.
Judging from the previous actions of contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd., before suing AVIC lithium battery, they had planned for a long time to launch a patent war with friends.
During the "two sessions" in early March this year, Zeng Yuqun, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd., submitted a proposal on intellectual property protection of lithium batteries.
Shortly after the end of the two sessions, Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. sued Tafel, who also produces power batteries, for "infringing the patent of battery explosion-proof design".
Although judging from the current news, both cases are temporary disappearances. But what is certain is that with the intensification of industry competition, in the typical technology-intensive industry of power battery, first-line battery enterprises with more patents will launch patent wars more widely.
Judging from the Catalogue of Recommended Vehicles for Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology this year, the energy density difference between ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries among battery enterprises is not obvious.
Perhaps it is for this reason that many second-tier battery companies have devoted their energy to the research and development of the next generation battery technology, hoping to achieve overtaking in corners.
Honeycomb energy cobalt-free battery
For example, from 20 19, Honeycomb Energy began to focus on the research and development of cobalt-free batteries, and achieved the first mass production of cobalt-free batteries in July 16.
According to the technical staff of Honeycomb Energy, the energy density of this battery is 240wh/kg, which is not only higher than that of high nickel ternary battery, but also safer.
Seize the opportunity of cobalt-free commercialization and become one of the first lines. The ambition of Honeycomb Energy is obvious.
At a time when the shipments of high-nickel batteries such as Amperex Technology Co, Limited and LG Chem are increasing, the executives of Funeng Technology also said that the safety problem of high-nickel batteries under high power conditions has not been completely solved, and their technical route is to jump directly into semi-solid batteries and seek overtaking in corners.
It can be said that most enterprises in the second echelon now have their own unique cheats. It is precisely for this reason that, in Ma Xiaoli's view, second-tier battery enterprises have great opportunities in the future. "As long as there is innovative thinking, a breakthrough is a matter of time."
3. Bundle car companies and base on "shortcuts"
However, it is easier said than done. For the second-tier battery enterprises with relatively little R&D funds, it is not easy to overtake in corners by relying on new technology.
In order to gain a firm foothold, bundling with car companies is a simpler and more effective way.
In the second-tier battery enterprises, the reason why Honeycomb Energy can rise rapidly in a short time is bound to be inseparable from the support of Great Wall Motor.
Take Guo Xuan Hi-Tech as an example. In May this year, Volkswagen China officially took a stake in Guo Xuan Hi-Tech, becoming the largest shareholder with 8.7 billion yuan. Guo Xuan Hi-Tech said in a subsequent announcement that the raised funds will be used for industrialization projects of high specific energy lithium batteries and ternary cathode materials projects.
With the support of Volkswagen China, Guo Xuan's "make up lessons" effect is also very obvious. In the Catalogue of Recommended Models for the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Guo Xuan's ternary lithium battery with energy density exceeding 200 Wh/kg has been installed. The energy density of lithium iron phosphate battery has also reached 160Wh/kg, both of which are comparable to the first echelon.
On July 20th, Guo Xuan Hi-Tech also announced that Hefei Guo Xuan and Hefei Xinzhan Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee formally signed a cooperation agreement to build a 20GWh power battery production base in Xinzhan Hi-tech Zone. In the future, the base will focus on the manufacture of Volkswagen standard batteries.
As for other battery companies that have no background in car companies, they have recently accelerated their binding with car companies:
At the end of last year, AVIC lithium battery was supported by Pre-A round of financing of Guangzhou Automobile Capital, a subsidiary of Guangzhou Automobile Group. After attracting Daimler's shares in the middle of last year, Funeng Technology officially signed an agreement with Geely to set up a battery factory in mid-May this year.
Regarding this trend, Yu Qingyi, Secretary General of Zhongguancun New Battery Technology Innovation Alliance and Chairman of 100 Battery Committee, once bluntly said that more and more car companies will set foot in the field of power batteries in the future, and this trend will also make the competition in the field of power batteries more intense to some extent.
Step 4 write it at the end
However, just as the second-tier battery companies are scrambling to seize market share, on the afternoon of July 29th, the release conference of sodium ion battery of Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd., the absolute elder brother of the power battery industry, was held as scheduled.
From lithium batteries to sodium batteries, contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd., which has market and capital advantages, seems to be at the forefront of technology again.
Since the price of sodium raw material is much lower than that of lithium, the release of this battery technology may be another great change moment for the whole power battery industry.
For the rise of second-tier battery companies, the uncertainty seems to have increased by another one. How to meet the challenge, second-tier battery enterprises undoubtedly need to come up with more advanced technologies and smarter strategies.