When it comes to new energy vehicles, the most valuable component is generally the power battery, as it accounts for about 40% of the cost. This is one reason why new energy vehicles are more expensive than comparable gasoline-powered vehicles.
However, with the advancement of power battery technology, the price of new energy vehicles has continued to decline, and they are now showing initial signs of becoming affordable with gasoline vehicles.
Currently, there are two main types of batteries used in the market: lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary lithium batteries. People have a fairly deep understanding of these two types of batteries.
In addition, new technologies such as solid-state batteries, graphene batteries, and cobalt-free batteries are emerging one after another.
Let's take a look at which battery technologies are the most anticipated.
1. Solid-state batteries
Solid-state batteries have existed for a long time, but commercialization has been difficult. Only in recent years have advancements in materials science, computer modeling, electrochemistry, and manufacturing technologies opened up new possibilities for this technology.
Recently, Toyota revealed that it will launch a "revolutionary" solid-state battery this year, which can be fully charged from empty in 10 minutes, providing electric vehicles with a range of up to 500 kilometers, and with minimal safety risks.
2. Graphene battery
Publicly available information shows that graphene is a two-dimensional carbon nanomaterial composed of carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice. Because it cannot store electrical energy, it is primarily used as the negative electrode in batteries. As the thinnest, strongest, and most conductive and thermally conductive nanomaterial discovered to date, graphene is hailed as the "king of materials of the 21st century." In the automotive field, graphene is considered a breakthrough point for researching fast-charging battery technology and lightweight vehicle bodies.
"Super fast charging + ultra-long range + super safety", "80% charge in 8 minutes", "1000km range", "Silicon anode battery brings electric vehicles into the 'monthly charging era'" - after GAC Aion released a poster on January 15 about "new power battery technology", the capital market is full of imagination and expectations for this "super battery" that can take into account various performance aspects.
It has been revealed that GAC Aion's graphene-based super battery improves energy density, charging speed, and range by adding 1%-2% graphene positive and negative electrode materials to the 811 and 622 batteries.
3. Cobalt-free batteries
Currently, cobalt, a scarce metal resource, is often used as the cathode material in the construction of ternary lithium batteries. The Democratic Republic of Congo, which supplies nearly 70% of the world's cobalt, has suffered from severe shortages of cobalt reserves due to prolonged political turmoil, causing prices to soar.
Against this backdrop, cobalt-free batteries have emerged as a natural trend. The leading company in this field is the domestic company SVOLT Energy, and Tesla also has a strong preference for cobalt-free batteries.
