"Generally speaking, lithium-ion batteries with a capacity below 80% can no longer be used in new energy vehicles. However, this does not mean that scrapped batteries have lost their value. They can still be used for energy storage or related power supply base stations, streetlights, and low-speed electric vehicles," Yin Chengliang, vice president of the Automotive Engineering Research Institute of Shanghai Jiaotong University, said in a previous interview.
Referring to relevant international experience, companies including GM and Nissan have successfully implemented the secondary use of power lithium-ion batteries. "However, as far as I know, all work in this area is still in the theoretical stage," Yu Qingjiao, founder of my country Battery Network, told reporters. In his view, "The government should introduce relevant policies to lead the establishment and encourage companies to participate in improving the recycling and secondary use of power lithium-ion batteries, so as to avoid repeating the resource waste and environmental pollution caused by insufficient recycling of lead-acid batteries."
Sales of power lithium-ion batteries are rising.
The so-called secondary use of power lithium-ion batteries refers to the reuse of power lithium-ion batteries after they have been used in automobiles, through disassembly, testing, and classification.
According to reporters, before the large-scale promotion and application of new energy vehicles, the domestic lithium-ion battery market demand was mainly concentrated in the 3C field. However, because the lithium-ion batteries of these products have relatively small capacity and low cost, they have not received enough attention in terms of recycling.
With the rise in sales of new energy vehicles, the demand for automotive power lithium-ion batteries has become even more prominent.
According to statistics from the my country Association of Automobile Manufacturers, domestic sales of new energy vehicles reached 10,501 units in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 154%. With the rapid growth of the new energy vehicle market, solutions for the recycling and reuse of power lithium-ion batteries are urgently needed.
Data shows that in 2013, the domestic demand for lithium-ion batteries exceeded 11 million kWh, of which the electric vehicle market (primarily referring to new energy vehicles) accounted for 26.52%, exceeding 2.9 million kWh; in 2011, this figure was only around 960,000 kWh. Meanwhile, according to data from the Gaogong Lithium Battery Industry Research Institute, in the first five months of this year, the proportion of lithium-ion batteries used in domestic mobile phones and laptops decreased by 2 and 4 percentage points respectively, while electric vehicles and energy storage increased by 4 and 1 percentage points respectively. With the future expansion of the new energy vehicle market, the demand for power lithium-ion batteries is expected to experience explosive growth.
Compared to 3C products, lithium-ion batteries account for up to 30% of the total cost of new energy vehicles, and they cannot be used in new energy vehicles if the battery capacity is below 80%.
Theoretically, once power lithium-ion batteries are phased out, they can be used in various applications, including distributed power generation stations, disaster relief sites, streetlights, and communication base stations. "Relatively speaking, energy storage power stations have lower energy density requirements for lithium-ion batteries," said Yin Chengliang.
According to Zhang Qian, Deputy General Manager of the Automotive Industry Research Center at CCID Consulting, if the tiered utilization of lithium-ion batteries for new energy vehicles can be systematized and scaled up, it will undoubtedly reduce the production and usage costs of new energy vehicles. He explained that prior to this, due to the implementation of recycling and the improvement of economies of scale, the cost of the 18650 cylindrical batteries used by electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla decreased by approximately 40% between 2007 and 2012.
"Stop and go" battery reuse
"Currently, companies including the Beijing and Zhejiang branches of the State Grid are committed to research on the residual energy of power lithium-ion batteries and are investing funds in research projects on the cascade utilization of these batteries, but progress has been relatively slow," Sun Dongdong, a new energy analyst at OFweek Industry Research Center, told reporters.
"The electric vehicle market is not yet fully developed. In addition, the secondary use of power lithium-ion batteries is theoretically feasible, but there are still many obstacles in practical operation," said Luo Huanta, assistant dean of the Gaogong Lithium Battery Industry Research Institute, in an interview.
However, the challenges don't end there. "Looking at the current state of the industry, the different battery development paths, specifications, and testing requirements of various automakers in my country have resulted in an excessive number of battery models and overly fragmented production, which also makes the 'aftermarket,' or secondary utilization, more difficult," said Sun Dongdong.
Beyond the technical aspects, promoting the tiered utilization of batteries clearly presents challenges across the entire industry chain. According to Sun Dongdong, due to the fragmented nature of my country's new energy vehicle industry chain, it is extremely difficult for automakers, battery companies, or battery leasing operators to proactively lead research into the tiered utilization of power lithium-ion batteries.
"Before the relevant industrial chain has formed a complete closed loop, it is more appropriate for the government to promote it," Yu Qingjiao said.
In the "Development Plan for Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Industry (2012-2020)" issued in July 2012, relevant government departments clearly proposed to "formulate management measures for the recycling and utilization of power lithium-ion batteries, establish a tiered utilization and recycling management system for power lithium-ion batteries, and clarify the responsibilities, rights, and obligations of all relevant parties. The plan also guides power lithium-ion battery manufacturers to strengthen the recycling and utilization of used batteries and encourages the development of specialized battery recycling companies." However, this plan did not specify the rights, responsibilities, and responsible parties in the recycling process.
