Currently, environmental pollution and the energy crisis have attracted widespread attention worldwide, and vehicle emissions have become a significant factor contributing to environmental pollution. Against this backdrop, vigorously developing electric vehicles has become an urgent task recognized by countries around the world.
However, among existing practical batteries, the high capacity density and energy density make lithium batteries widely recognized as the most promising power lithium batteries.
To promote the sustainable and healthy development of the lithium battery industry, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently released the "Standard Conditions for the Lithium Battery Industry" (hereinafter referred to as the "Conditions"). The introduction of these new regulations aims to strengthen the scientific management of the lithium battery industry, improve its development level, and further guide industrial transformation, upgrading, and structural adjustment.
Meanwhile, to strictly control new lithium battery industry projects that simply expand production capacity but have low technological levels, the "Conditions" stipulate the following requirements for company size: annual battery production of no less than 100 million watt-hours; annual production of cathode materials of no less than 2,000 tons; annual production of anode materials of no less than 2,000 tons; annual production of separators of no less than 20 million square meters; annual production of electrolyte of no less than 2,000 tons; and annual production of electrolyte solution of no less than 500 tons. The company's actual production in the previous year must be no less than 50% of its actual production at the time of application.
Industry insiders point out that the new regulations on lithium batteries may drive a reshuffling of the industry.
New regulations "strengthen" industry reshuffling
It is understood that in March of this year, in order to guide and regulate the healthy development of the automotive power battery industry and encourage automotive power battery companies to become stronger and better, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the "Standard Conditions for the Automotive Power Battery Industry." Among other things, it stipulates that the annual output of lithium-ion power battery cell manufacturers should not be less than 200 million watt-hours.
The successive introduction of battery industry standards and the implementation of access requirements for lithium battery production will help strengthen the management of lithium batteries and promote the sound and stable development of the battery industry.
In addition, by reducing the annual output requirement for lithium-ion power battery cell manufacturers from no less than 200 million watt-hours to no less than 100 million watt-hours, the lowering of the cell production requirement will help prevent battery companies from blindly developing power lithium batteries, thus leaving a lot of room for demand for energy storage and consumer lithium batteries.
Li Xiangdong, general manager of Landwind 4S store in Datong City, Shanxi Province, told a reporter from my country Industry and Commerce News: "Currently, in order to protect the environment and reduce the consumption of non-renewable energy sources, including oil, the country is strongly supporting the development of new energy vehicles. Coupled with the introduction of relevant preferential policies, this has already encouraged power lithium battery companies to accelerate their research and development and production." However, Li Xiangdong emphasized that many small lithium battery manufacturers, in pursuit of company profits and personal gain, have neglected quality issues.
Battery safety is a crucial issue that battery companies cannot ignore for their long-term development. The "Conditions" require lithium battery manufacturers to possess the electrical performance and safety testing capabilities stipulated by relevant standards, and encourage companies to equip themselves with environmental adaptability testing instruments and equipment to have the capability to test battery environmental adaptability.
Li Xiangdong stated that some small battery companies, due to limitations in technology and scale, have not met the relevant national production requirements. Simple production processes and crude manufacturing conditions can create safety hazards for these companies.
Industry insiders analyze that refining the requirements for lithium battery electrical performance and safety testing capabilities will help raise the bar for the lithium battery industry. Some companies that do not meet the standards will encounter development bottlenecks or be merged and reorganized, and the industry will usher in a reshuffle.
Technical shortcomings still need to be overcome.
Due to their high energy density and long cycle life, lithium batteries are widely used in digital products, power tools, electric bicycles, new energy vehicles, and energy storage, and are recognized as the most promising new type of battery.
However, the power lithium battery industry is characterized by rapid technological updates. Even without the emergence of new battery types, it constantly faces the threat of being replaced by similar products, both in terms of technological improvements and production processes. Moreover, with the advent of a large-scale development era for the industry, a reshuffling is inevitable. Among the numerous power lithium battery companies currently operating, only a few will ultimately prevail in the fierce competition, while a large number will be acquired, merged, or even go bankrupt.
Tang Sanxiao (pseudonym), a technician in the battery industry, told a reporter from my country Industry and Commerce News that my country still lags behind some advanced countries in power lithium battery technology, but my country is currently investing heavily in the research of power lithium batteries.
Tang Sanxiao stated that electrode materials for power lithium batteries are one of the key areas of research and development, as they directly affect battery capacity, thus indicating the strength of the battery's charging and discharging capabilities. Tang Sanxiao also noted that the capacity of power lithium batteries currently produced in my country is lower than the world's advanced levels, and this 100-200mAh capacity gap requires very high technical expertise.
Industry insiders say that the lithium battery industry has been developing for over 20 years, and its basic technology is relatively mature. However, overall, the lithium battery industry remains a sunrise industry with enormous future development potential and rapid technological progress. Improving the energy density and safety performance of lithium batteries are currently key areas of innovation in international lithium battery technology, and these two points are also the bottlenecks facing the industry. Technological advancements in these two areas will have a significant impact on the future development of the industry.
Lithium-ion batteries have long been considered one of the most promising battery technologies, and were included in my country's key national science and technology projects during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period. In recent years, my country's achievements in lithium-ion battery technology include independent innovation in key lithium-ion battery materials and import substitution of automated lithium-ion production equipment.
It is worth noting that the precision of the instruments used in the production process directly affects the quality of the batteries. However, Tang Sanxiao stated that more precise instruments mean greater investment in equipment, which inevitably increases the company's production costs and leads to a series of subsequent problems.
Meanwhile, industry insiders say that the improvement of lithium battery energy density and lightweight design are key to future demand expansion, and the increased demand for industrial portable devices equipped with high-efficiency batteries will also drive the rise of the lithium battery market.
However, Sun Yu, public relations director of Renrenche, told a reporter from my country Industry and Commerce News that while the batteries currently meet the basic needs of electric vehicles, there is still room for improvement in battery capacity and subsequent battery recycling. Improving battery storage capacity is also a global technological hurdle.
Huge market potential
In recent years, with the successive introduction of national subsidy policies for new energy vehicles and the continuous improvement of charging infrastructure, the consumption of new energy vehicles in my country has entered a stable phase. In 2009 and 2013, the government issued and implemented new energy vehicle subsidy policies twice. Not only in China, but also in major economies around the world, relevant policies have been introduced to support the development of new energy vehicles and related industries.
It is worth noting that the surge in new energy vehicle production has driven a rapid increase in demand for power lithium batteries.
It is understood that before 2009, the market share of lithium-ion battery electric vehicles was relatively small, with nickel-metal hydride batteries being the primary power source. However, due to the advantages of lithium-ion batteries compared to nickel-metal hydride and lead-acid batteries, such as higher energy density, faster charging speed, lower cost, and no memory effect, automakers began to significantly increase the proportion of lithium-ion batteries as power sources starting in 2010.
The strong demand in the new energy vehicle market is influenced by many factors. Sun Yu told reporters that, on the one hand, car purchase restrictions and limited license plate quotas have directly promoted the development of new energy vehicles. On the other hand, national subsidy policies and the continuous maturation of battery technology are also driving the development of new energy vehicles.
It's clear that the development of the lithium battery industry and new energy vehicles have a synergistic relationship. Industry insiders say that technological breakthroughs and cost reductions in lithium batteries will drive the development of new energy vehicles, while market demand for new energy vehicles is also driving the expansion of lithium battery production, R&D, and scale.
It is worth noting that in recent years, my country's logistics industry has developed rapidly, and under the background of "Internet+", the demand for logistics and distribution vehicles is also increasing. With the advocacy of environmental protection, green and environmentally friendly electric logistics vehicles have become a key choice for local governments and logistics companies, and national policies have also pointed out the corresponding development direction.
It is understood that provinces and cities with relatively developed logistics industries, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian, Linyi in Shandong, Xi'an, and Wuhan, have clearly defined plans to promote pure electric logistics vehicles in their local new energy vehicle promotion measures that have already been implemented.
The Ministry of Transport's "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles (Draft for Solicitation of Comments)" clearly states that by 2020, the total number of new energy vehicles in my country, including those used in urban public transport, taxis, and urban logistics distribution, will reach 300,000.
Electric vehicles are relatively widely used in micro-logistics systems like door-to-door parcel delivery in residential communities. However, while using electric vehicles in medium-sized logistics systems—such as the distribution of parcels from central courier stations to individual delivery points—can save energy and reduce emissions, its adoption is currently limited by factors such as battery storage capacity, and electric trucks are rarely seen, Sun Yu told reporters.
Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows that from January to July this year, the cumulative production of new energy vehicles reached 98,900 units, a three-fold increase year-on-year. It is estimated that in 2015, my country's electric vehicle sales will reach 220,000 units, a 162% increase year-on-year, with a demand for power lithium batteries of approximately 12.5 GWh and a production value of about 25 billion yuan. However, the actual production of power lithium batteries may only reach 5 GWh.
Clearly, my country's production of power lithium batteries is far from meeting the current demand for new energy vehicles, indicating huge room for growth. At the same time, how to regulate the price of new energy vehicles to ensure widespread public acceptance is also a major issue.
Sun Yu emphasized that if the country does not standardize charging-related indicators, it will not be easy to promote the development of new energy vehicles by relying solely on manufacturers and the market.
He also stated that the development of new energy vehicles requires a transition period, and the development of pure electric vehicles still faces difficulties. Therefore, pursuing the development path of hybrid vehicles is a wise move at present.
