What may be driving the change of the energy era may not only be the form of power itself, but also the way of replenishment. Just like a hundred years ago, what accelerated the carriage era to an end was the civilianization of gas stations.
In the past, electric vehicles have even started longer than fuel vehicles, but history has chosen the latter. Even in the first few years of the emergence of new energy vehicles, it was not optimistic about too many people. At that time, some insiders said: "Only when charging is as convenient and fast as refueling, new energy vehicles have the opportunity to replace fuel vehicles." ”
The words are sharp but realistic. No matter how to emphasize the benefits of new energy vehicles to the environment, but the problems of high purchase cost, difficult charging, and slow charging cannot be avoided. If this choice does not bring us convenience but creates trouble, then we have reason to wonder whether the transformation of new energy can benefit us.
In order to further promote the development of new energy vehicles and meet the actual needs of needle users to the greatest extent, car companies and charging operators are constantly exploring energy replenishment methods supplemented by power exchange mode in addition to improving the coverage of charging scenarios and service reach. With the increase in policy, a round of exploration of new energy replenishment methods is rushing forward.
At present, Geely, Dongfeng, Weilai, Aodong, BAIC, Changan, SAIC and other enterprises are cutting into the power exchange track.
Top-level design blessing: the advantages of power exchange are obvious
Since 2020, the new energy vehicle power exchange model has been "supported" by many departments such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the power exchange model has ushered in the outlet.
On April 23, 2020, the Ministry of Finance and other four ministries and commissions jointly issued a new policy on new energy subsidies, clearly pointing out that new energy vehicles with a starting price of more than 300,000 yuan will no longer enjoy subsidies, but the vehicles that support the power exchange mode are exceptions, so as to encourage the development of a new business model of "power exchange".
On November 1, 2021, gb/T40032-2021 "Electric Vehicle Replacement Safety Requirements" national standard was officially implemented, which was approved and issued by the State Administration of Market Regulation (National Standards Commission) in April, which is the first basic universal national industry standard formulated in China's automobile manufacturing industry.
The analysis believes that the standard helps to improve the safety level of electric vehicles using power exchange technology in terms of mechanical strength, electrical safety, environmental adaptability, etc., ensures the safety of electric vehicles, fills the standard gap in the automotive industry, solves the urgent problem that there is no standard for power exchange mode, helps guide the product research and development of automobile companies, improves the safety of electric vehicles, and supports the high-quality development of the new energy automobile industry.
As of October 2021, a total of 1,086 substations have been built in China, an increase of more than 100% year-on-year. Although the construction of the replacement power station has begun to see the scale, compared with the charging mode, the volume of the power exchange mode is relatively small, and the development space is large. With the gradual recognition of the power exchange mode, a number of companies have said that they will carry out the research and development and layout of the power exchange mode.
According to estimates, the total investment in new substations during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period reached 127.6 billion yuan, with a compound growth rate of 175% from 2021 to 2025; the total market space for substation operations reached 109.1 billion yuan during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, with a compound growth rate of 306.71% from 2021 to 2025.
As for the advantages of the power exchange mode, Xin Guobin, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, summed it up as follows: 1, the separation of vehicle and electricity can greatly reduce the cost of consumers to buy a car; 2, can increase the convenience of consumer travel; 3, by the battery operating company to monitor, maintain and manage the battery centrally, is conducive to prolonging the life of the power battery, improve the safety of the battery; 4, the use of peak and valley electricity price difference to reduce charging costs; 5, reduce the weight of the car, reduce power consumption; 6, solve the problem of charging difficulties in old residential areas; 7, The power exchange model can give birth to new service industries.
Integrating Lifan resources, Geely "accelerated" power exchange
The "double carbon" policy has long driven the energy revolution and the all-round reform of the power system, and new industries such as energy storage, green electricity and fuel cells represented by new energy vehicles will usher in unprecedented industrial changes and investment opportunities.
A few days ago, Lifan Technology announced that the company intends to jointly invest with Geely Automobile Holdings Co., Ltd. to set up a joint venture company in the directly administered area of Liangjiang New District, Chongqing, with a registered capital of 600 million yuan, and both parties will invest 300 million yuan in monetary funds, each holding 50% of the shares. In the future, the two parties will coordinate travel companies and power exchange service companies, match models, and work together to build a power exchange network ecology and promote the development of urban power exchange standardization.
As a leading enterprise of its own brand, Geely Automobile will also "show its fists" in 2022, establish a new joint venture through the assets of Pan vitality sail, and will release a new brand of electric exchange travel, and the brand replacement of tram series name activities will also be officially launched in the near future.
It is understood that the new joint venture company will rely on the regional layout to create a radiation of the country's power exchange energy service network, quickly build a power exchange market map, according to the plan, the joint venture company will be in 2025, the construction of more than 5,000 power stations.
Compared with energy companies and new car manufacturers, Geely Automobile's advantage is that it has a mature system in technological innovation, product research and development, and brand building for a long time. At the same time, Geely has a shared travel brand Cao Cao Travel, which can not only meet the demand for efficient, fast and safe travel in the operating market, but also nurture more potential users for Geely Automobile and accelerate the popularization of the power exchange mode.
In addition, Geely's full brand has a strong user base, which can promote the penetration of the power exchange model from operating users to the private market. Such two-way complementarity, the power exchange service system built by the new brand may usher in an explosive benefit in a short period of time.
Che Yun summary
From the perspective of the transformation of the energy era, the power exchange mode will be an important supplement to the future electric vehicle energy replenishment mode. The power exchange mode can quickly achieve energy replenishment, and has obvious advantages in reducing the cost of car purchase, eliminating mileage anxiety, and improving safety levels.
From the perspective of commercial value, through the centralized charging station for centralized storage, centralized charging, unified distribution of a large number of batteries, and battery replacement services for electric vehicles in the battery distribution station, the essence of the power exchange model is to tap the full life cycle value of power batteries and realize the redistribution of enterprises and consumers. From this starting point, the power exchange model is beneficial to car companies, battery companies, power grids, and consumers.