Currently, my country is the world's largest electric vehicle market and holds a leading position in the lithium battery industry. However, with technological advancements and adjustments in national policies, lithium batteries have encountered a strong competitor—hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries. In 2018, the government raised the subsidy threshold for pure electric passenger vehicles and reduced the subsidy amount, while maintaining an encouraging attitude towards hydrogen fuel cell lithium battery vehicles, with subsidies remaining stable and not being phased out until 2020. Simultaneously, more than ten cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Xi'an, and Hangzhou, have introduced policies to support the development of hydrogen fuel cell lithium battery vehicles.
With such clear government policy support, we can't help but wonder: Can pure electric vehicles continue to dominate the market? What competitive advantages do hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries, as a rising star, possess? In the future, which of the two will reign supreme in the world of new energy vehicles?
As can be seen from the table above, lithium batteries have an absolute advantage when evaluated from the perspectives of technology and cost.
From a technical perspective
Lithium-ion battery production technology is mature, the industrial chain is complete, mass production is possible, and production costs are low; it is currently in a phase of expanding economies of scale. However, hydrogen fuel cell lithium-ion batteries are more difficult to manufacture, with high technical requirements for proton exchange membranes, key materials such as catalysts, and bipolar plates. These key technologies are largely controlled by the United States, Europe, and Japan.
In terms of time, hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries only take 3-20 minutes to charge; while lithium batteries take a relatively long time to charge, approximately 30 minutes to 3 hours.
In terms of driving range, hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries can easily achieve over 600km, with significant room for improvement. Lithium batteries, on the other hand, have a driving range of around 400km, which is easily affected by ambient temperature and is prone to aging.
In terms of energy density, lithium batteries have an energy density of 90 to 140 Wh/kg, while ternary lithium batteries have a theoretical energy density of 300 to 350 Wh/kg. Hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries, as a power generation device, have a much higher energy density than lithium batteries, currently reaching 600 Wh/kg, with a theoretical upper limit of 10,000 to 20,000 Wh/kg, indicating significant room for improvement.
cost perspective
Currently, the domestic hydrogen fuel cell lithium battery manufacturing industry chain is basically non-existent, making it difficult to achieve mass production and thus increasing costs. In addition, the cost of building a hydrogen refueling station with a hydrogen refueling capacity of more than 200 kg is more than 10 million yuan. Although the government has introduced a support policy of "awarding 4 million yuan per station for newly built hydrogen refueling stations of fuel cell lithium battery vehicles that meet national technical standards and have a daily hydrogen refueling capacity of no less than 200 kg", the high construction costs still deter people from doing so.
In addition, both types of batteries have certain safety issues. Lithium batteries are prone to overcharging and over-discharging, and electrolyte leakage during a collision can easily cause a fire; hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries require sealed hydrogen storage tanks, and hydrogen leakage during refueling can easily cause combustion, and hydrogen leakage is also likely during a collision.
Although my country's hydrogen energy industry started late, the country attaches great importance to the development of hydrogen fuel cell lithium-ion battery vehicles. "Made in my country 2025" clearly outlines a technology roadmap for fuel cell lithium-ion battery vehicles and their key components, setting technical goals for the research and development of key materials for fuel cell lithium-ion batteries. Subsequently, on November 29, 2016, the State Council issued the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of National Strategic Emerging Industries," proposing the "industrialization" of fuel cell lithium-ion battery vehicles, aiming to achieve mass production and large-scale demonstration applications by 2020. Currently, China has formed a technical system encompassing complete vehicles, fuel cell stacks, and systems, possessing the conditions for small-scale industrialization. In 2018, my country produced a total of 1,619 hydrogen fuel cell lithium-ion battery vehicles, with 12 hydrogen refueling stations completed and 20 under construction. The country will continue to increase its support for the research and development and industrialization of fuel cell lithium-ion batteries, carrying out research and development work on key materials such as catalysts, proton exchange membranes, and bipolar plates to improve the performance and lifespan of fuel cell stack products and reduce costs.
Currently, lithium batteries and fuel cell lithium batteries are the mainstream technologies that are expected to replace petroleum vehicles. Both have their advantages and significant room for improvement. If lithium batteries can improve their energy density and optimize their cycle life, they will be more competitive. However, the core technologies of hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries, the high costs of vehicle and hydrogen refueling station construction, and safety issues remain major bottlenecks for the industry's development. From an environmental and sustainable development perspective, hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries have a more promising future than lithium batteries. However, from a short-term economic perspective, developing lithium batteries is more competitive in the market than developing hydrogen fuel cell lithium batteries.
