Listed companies overweight solid-state battery research and development, and the commercialization process is expected to be earlier than expected
On December 13, BAIC Blue Valley stated on the interactive platform that the company has completed the development of second-generation solid-state batteries, battery system bench test verification and vehicle (ARCFOXαT) installation verification. At the same time, the research and development of the third-generation solid-state battery is also under planning.
With the increasing popularity of the solid-state battery industry, many leading car companies such as BMW and Ford have entered the market one after another to vigorously promote the commercialization of solid-state batteries. Listed companies such as Ganfeng Lithium and BAIC Blue Valley are accelerating the research and development of solid-state batteries. Industry insiders pointed out that solid-state batteries will become the technological trend leading the development of new energy vehicles, or become a must for giants.
achieve phased results
Recently, many listed companies announced their phased achievements in the development of solid-state batteries, and accelerated the follow-up research and development work.
BAIC Blue Valley said on the interactive platform that the company has now completed the development of the second-generation solid-state battery cell, the battery system bench test verification, and the vehicle (ARCFOXαT) installation verification. At the same time, BAIC Blue Valley said that the planned third-generation solid-state battery technology plans to match the new models of the Jihu brand, and develop a solid-state battery with high safety (no fire) and high energy density (cell energy density of 360Wh/kg). Currently in the process of model project approval.
In addition to BAIC Blue Valley, Ganfeng Lithium has also achieved phased results in the development of solid-state batteries. A few days ago, a reporter from my country Securities News learned from Ganfeng Lithium that the first batch of Dongfeng E70s equipped with Ganfeng hybrid solid-liquid lithium-ion batteries will undergo a test run ceremony in Xinyu, Jiangxi Province. The model is expected to be delivered before the Spring Festival. At present, Ganfeng Lithium Battery, a subsidiary company, has built a 0.3GWh mixed solid-liquid lithium-ion battery production line and put it into use. It has the capacity for mass production and is continuously increasing its output.
The relevant person in charge of Ganfeng Lithium Industry said that the company has realized the loading of mixed solid-liquid lithium-ion batteries based on flexible solid-state separators. Boxes and other abuse tests that are higher than the most stringent national standards.
The above-mentioned person in charge also said that the hybrid solid-liquid lithium-ion battery has high grouping efficiency. The module adopts an aluminum alloy frame and high-precision seam laser welding technology, which reduces redundant structural design and improves the overall grouping rate to more than 86%. , ahead of the average level of the soft package module industry.
At the same time, Ganfeng Lithium is also stepping up the research and development of second-generation solid-state lithium-ion batteries. Different from the first-generation solid-state battery, the second-generation battery is based on high-nickel ternary cathode materials and metal-containing lithium anode materials. At present, the energy density of the product exceeds 350Wh/kg, and the cycle life is close to 400 times. The metal lithium and lithium products used in the battery are the key anode materials for solid-state lithium-ion batteries. Therefore, Ganfeng Lithium Industry added an annual output of 7,000 tons of metal lithium in April this year. The project plans to invest 2.2 billion yuan.
The entry of giants to promote the commercialization process
Due to its obvious performance advantages in safety, reliability, energy density, cycle life and other aspects, solid-state batteries are considered by the industry as an ideal next-generation battery technology system. In recent years, BMW, Ford, Weilai and other car companies are accelerating the deployment of solid-state battery business and accelerating the commercial application of solid-state batteries.
In January this year, NIO announced a 150kWh solid-state battery with an energy density of up to 360Wh/kg, a 50% increase in energy density. The high-capacity battery will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2022. Based on the battery with this energy density, the NEDC cruising range of NIO ET7 can exceed 1,000 kilometers.
The Volkswagen Group said at PowerDay in March that it will focus on the development of solid-state battery technology in the future, which is expected to be put into use in 2025. Volkswagen Group believes that all-solid-state batteries are the "final chapter" in the development of lithium-ion batteries. At present, Volkswagen Group is cooperating with QuantumScape, a Silicon Valley start-up company in the United States, to develop all-solid-state batteries.
In April, the BMW Group also announced plans to purchase test batteries in 2022, launch prototype vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries by 2025, and start road tests for vehicles equipped with all-solid-state batteries by 2025, and by 2030 mass production.
BYD stated as early as 2016 that solid-state batteries are the direction of future development. It will try to use it on a small scale and will launch solid-state batteries in the next 10 years, or the fastest 5 years. In 2018, BYD promoted the commercialization of solid-state battery projects, and made solid-state batteries the next research focus.
China National Financial Securities pointed out that NIO and other car companies will launch 1,000-kilometer battery life models in the next 1-2 years, which is expected to accelerate the application progress of semi-solid batteries and further promote the path of power lithium-ion batteries from liquid to semi-solid, and then to all-solid. evolution. Solid-state batteries are expected to enjoy a valuation premium over conventional liquid batteries.
Industry insiders said that solid-state batteries are the most promising next-generation battery technology for mass production, which can solve the problems of short battery life and poor safety of liquid electrolyte lithium-ion batteries. Become an industry giant must compete for high ground.
Still need to break through many technical barriers
As global companies increase their research and publication of solid-state batteries, some industry insiders believe that the industrialization process of solid-state batteries is expected to accelerate. It is expected that global solid-state battery shipments will increase rapidly from 2021 to 2030, and may exceed 250GWh by 2030. At the same time, judging from the current development trend, the commercialization of solid-state batteries will be earlier than expected.
However, many industry insiders and institutions still believe that solid-state batteries are still a long way from commercialization. Western Securities said that there are still technical and cost problems in solid-state batteries that need to be solved urgently. In a short period of time, solid-state batteries cannot be commercialized in mass production, and it will take at least five to ten years to achieve this goal.
Cinda Futures pointed out that the current solid-state battery has high interface resistance and poor stability in air. As far as the current technology is concerned, the ionic conductivity per unit area is low, resulting in unsatisfactory power density at room temperature; at the same time, the physical contact between the electrode and the electrolyte during the cycle becomes poor, and in the face of the electrode expansion problem during the charge-discharge cycle, Breaking through these technical barriers requires a lot of capital investment.
Ouyang Minggao, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes that solid-state batteries will be put into large-scale commercial applications from 2025 to 2030. Currently, the upper limit of specific energy for lithium-ion batteries is about 300 watt-hours per kilogram. In 2025, the first-generation all-solid-state battery with a specific energy roughly equivalent to the existing liquid electrolyte lithium-ion battery will appear. After 2030, the second generation of all-solid-state batteries using new positive and negative materials will appear, and the specific energy will be increased to 500 watt-hours per kilogram.
CICC stated that solid-state batteries can realize the application of lithium metal anodes, and solve technical problems such as low conductivity, high interface impedance and poor cycle performance. However, it will still take a long time for high-consistency products to be mass-produced and adapted to the needs of vehicles. Before 2030, solid-state batteries may only be used in a small number of high-end electric vehicles, and it is difficult to have a major impact on the existing liquid lithium-ion battery industry.
