On October 18th this year, the "China International Energy-Saving and New Energy Vehicle Exhibition (IEEV)," jointly hosted by the Beijing Municipal People's Government and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, grandly opened at the Beijing National Convention Center. With the theme of "Opening a New Era for Automobiles," the exhibition once again heated up the concepts of "new energy" and "energy saving," attracting the attention of automotive industry professionals and consumers, and providing an excellent opportunity for some emerging independent brands to showcase their products and technologies.
Among the many manufacturers showcasing their products at this exhibition, Lanno New Energy won the "2018 Outstanding Hybrid System Supplier" award from the organizers for its differentiated approach of "48V mild hybrid system + lithium titanate battery." This unique technological choice offers a completely new solution to the Chinese and even global automotive industry, and may well become the mainstream configuration for tomorrow's energy-efficient vehicles.
Founded in 2015, Shanghai Lanno New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is committed to fulfilling a priceless promise with its own national brand—making the sky bluer and the water clearer. This is also the origin of the company name "Lanno." It's easy to see that the entrepreneurs' entrepreneurial philosophy is green and sustainable. This is also confirmed in an interview with the company. Founder Han Li stated, "AZUR means azure in French, and EVE is taken from parts of the English word 'Everywhere.' The English name Lanno, AZUREVE, signifies a blue expanse everywhere, and is also a symbol of hope. We hope that technological progress, while meeting human needs, will conserve non-renewable energy as much as possible to achieve the goal of 'sustainable development,' which also reflects the important spirit of 'building a beautiful China' emphasized in the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China."
"The key to fulfilling our blue promise lies in our unique product roadmap," said founder Han Li. Indeed, in its market entry, Lanno New Energy chose a "product focus" and a "differentiation strategy." Their technological approach is unparalleled in China. According to the founder, "We're not promoting a product, but a technological roadmap, attempting to establish a standard system in a completely new application field. Titanium oxide batteries are best suited for hybrid vehicles, and through various control methods, they can achieve lower fuel consumption and emissions. Therefore, I believe—it will be the mainstream configuration for tomorrow's energy-saving vehicles!"
48V mild hybrid technology: an opportunity for comprehensive technological upgrades for independent brands.
Against the backdrop of global energy conservation and emission reduction, my country has introduced mandatory standards such as the "Fuel Consumption Limits for Passenger Vehicles" (Phase IV Standard) and the "Evaluation Methods and Indicators for Fuel Consumption of Passenger Vehicles," clearly pointing the future development of passenger vehicles towards "fuel efficiency." my country's current major milestone targets are: by 2020, an average fuel consumption of 5.0 liters per 100 kilometers for new passenger vehicles; by 2025, 4.0 liters per 100 kilometers; and by 2030, 3.2 liters per 100 kilometers. Under this pressure, multiple technological approaches are working together, with some already showing promise in the field of energy conservation, and a new generation of technologies beginning to emerge.
In the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) sector, Japanese HEV technology has almost monopolized the market. In 2011, major European automakers jointly launched the 48V mild hybrid technology standard to compete with Japanese HEVs. Against this backdrop, the development of 48V mild hybrid technology by domestic Chinese brands has become a promising path, and some manufacturers (such as today's protagonist—Lanuo New Energy) have gradually emerged and are continuously undergoing validation by OEMs.
First, from a cost perspective—the price-performance ratio is impressive. Currently, my country's 48V hybrid technology requires only 30% of the manufacturing cost of a high-voltage hybrid system, yet achieves 70% of the fuel-saving performance. Furthermore, OEMs can continue using their existing powertrain architecture, gradually increasing the complexity of the hybrid system to optimize fuel consumption and emissions. The 48V powertrain consists of a small engine and an electric motor, with the battery used to store energy recovered during start-stop/braking. This requires minimal modification to the vehicle and lowers production line modification costs, making it better suited to the transformation and upgrading needs of traditional automakers both domestically and internationally.
Secondly, according to IHS Global Insights, by 2025, 48V hybrid vehicles will account for 95% of the global mild hybrid market, almost half of the total number of hybrid vehicles worldwide. Their latest forecast also shows that by 2025, global annual production of 48V vehicles will reach 13.6 million units. More importantly, China will become a major market for 48V technology, with approximately 8 million 48V models expected to be produced there by 2025. It may truly become the most effective solution for energy-saving vehicles in the future!
Ternary cathode lithium titanate anode batteries are the safest and most reliable hybrid battery solution.
Since the industrialization of lithium-ion batteries in 1991, graphite has dominated the field as the anode material. In recent years, lithium titanate has gained attention as an anode material due to its many superior properties.
First, lithium titanate batteries can be used safely in both high and low temperature environments, demonstrating their significant advantage of wide temperature range (especially low temperature resistance). While most electric vehicles experience charging and discharging problems at -10℃, lithium titanate batteries can be charged and discharged between -40℃ and +60℃. Whether in the icy regions of Northern Europe and Northeast China, or the scorching heat of Southeast Asia and the equatorial region, vehicles will not be affected by battery "shock," eliminating concerns for both users and OEMs.
Secondly, unlike graphite anodes which suffer from short circuits and fires due to crystal precipitation, lithium titanate anodes completely eliminate these safety concerns. With traditional graphite anodes, after lithium intercalation, overcharging easily leads to the precipitation of metallic lithium on the electrode surface. This metallic lithium, upon puncturing the separator, reacts with the electrolyte to produce flammable gases, posing a significant safety hazard. In contrast, lithium titanate anodes have a higher potential than pure metallic lithium, making them less prone to lithium crystal formation and greatly improving the safety performance of lithium batteries. Third-party testing of lithium titanate batteries has shown that under stringent tests such as nail penetration, compression, and short circuits, they do not smoke, catch fire, or explode, demonstrating a safety level far exceeding that of other lithium batteries.
Third, lithium titanate materials maintain high crystal structure stability during lithium-ion insertion and extraction, with minimal change in lattice constant. This "zero-strain" electrode material significantly extends the cycle life of lithium titanate batteries. While the average cycle life of ordinary batteries is 3,000 cycles, lithium titanate batteries can achieve over 20,000 full charge-discharge cycles. After 10 years as a power battery, it can potentially be used as an energy storage battery for another 10 years. From a life-cycle perspective, lithium titanate batteries are also more cost-effective.
Fourth, another advantage of lithium titanate is its strong fast charge and discharge capability and high charging rate. Compared with graphite anode materials, lithium titanate has a higher lithium-ion diffusion coefficient, enabling high-rate charge and discharge. Currently, the high-power lithium titanate batteries chosen by Lanno can achieve charging rates exceeding 50C, while batteries using ordinary graphite anode materials typically only have a charging rate of 20C. This significantly shortens charging time while having a smaller impact on cycle life and stronger thermal stability.
In summary, lithium titanate batteries, with their wide temperature range, safety, long lifespan, and fast charging, have an irresistible competitive advantage.
Shanghai Lanno New Energy, benefiting from its founder's decade-long experience and expertise in the new energy battery field, astutely seized the opportunity to perfectly combine 48V hybrid technology with lithium titanate batteries. They conducted in-depth research into the coordination and control of various components in the 48V power system, employing a unique on-board intelligent fast-charging technology. This fully leverages the high charge-discharge capacity of lithium titanate batteries to achieve optimal fuel efficiency. Truly developing the battery system from the perspective of overall vehicle needs, they directly address the challenges currently facing the hybrid vehicle market, such as unsatisfactory fuel consumption, low system efficiency, and the need for improved driving experience – a truly innovative approach!
Currently, based on its strategic positioning as an internationally leading technology company, it has established technical cooperation and development partnerships with numerous well-known domestic and international OEMs. The company's flagship products for mild hybrid vehicles, including high-power 48V battery systems, HEV battery systems, PHEV battery systems, HCUs, and BMSs, have entered the product testing and verification phase and have achieved remarkable results. Furthermore, the high-power 48V system can be quickly upgraded to a high-voltage HEV system. To enhance product price competitiveness, Lanno New Energy has designed and developed a platform for sharing modules between 48V and high-voltage HEV systems, which can further significantly reduce production costs. Several manufacturers have already expressed their willingness to cooperate, and the company is now fully preparing for mass production.
Lanno, an independent brand auto parts manufacturer, is boldly embracing both opportunities and challenges in the fiercely competitive field of automotive electrification, aiming to become a leader. With the painful reality of the "hollowing out" of traditional automobiles proving difficult to reverse, this independent brand parts company is dedicated to research and development, boldly innovating, and ambitiously striving to change this situation in the field of energy-saving and new energy vehicles, aiming to catch up with internationally renowned parts companies – a truly inspiring move! Cao Nanhai, Lanno's product development technology head, stated, "Engineers speak with data. I believe that Lanno's independently developed hybrid battery products are on par with international counterparts in terms of indicators and parameters, and even have significant performance advantages in some aspects. As one of the core components of automotive electrification, Lanno's hybrid batteries will continue to maintain high product quality." The people of Lanno are full of confidence in the company and its products, determined to compete head-to-head with international battery brands!
With its deployment of 48V power batteries and bold use of lithium titanate battery technology, can Lanno New Energy create a wave in the complex and competitive new energy and energy-saving vehicle market, and even promote the "48V lithium titanate battery system" as the mainstream configuration for future energy-saving vehicles? Let's wait and see.
