From January to November 2021, the cumulative production and sales of new energy vehicles in China reached 3.023 million units and 2.990 million units, respectively, an increase of 170% year-on-year. This means that new energy vehicles are making great strides, and this momentum will continue in 2022. Logically, in addition to the support of relevant policies, the increase in the strength of new energy vehicle products is also an important reason, but looking back at 2021, we will find that the lithium iron phosphate battery that was eliminated in the past has actually "returned from the dead", which is not driving backwards under the general trend of electrification?
Mention lithium iron phosphate batteries, most of us will think of those rough oil and electricity products in the early stage of the development of new energy vehicles, not only the mileage is crotched, the comprehensive product power can not be on the table, and the high price is incredible.
However, the manufacturers that embrace lithium iron phosphate in 2021 are not only not the gravel that has been eliminated in the big wave of sand, but the top-class manufacturers with heads and faces. Here's what's worth talking about.
Lithium iron phosphate "Returns of the Dead"
The following is a domestic lithium iron phosphate battery as the main industry of the manufacturer of the stock price trend in the past year, if the lithium iron phosphate battery is used in the market as before in the marginal area of the manufacturer, or even "old man le" this non-mainstream products, then there will not be such a big battle.
2022 Tesla Model 3
A while ago, Tesla announced that it would replace the batteries used in the standard endurance version of model 3 and Model Y new energy electric vehicles to lithium iron phosphate batteries on a global scale; a few days later, Daimler Group CEO Kang Songlin announced that in order to curb the soaring price of some metals in entry-level models, Mercedes-Benz will use lithium iron phosphate batteries on entry-level models EQA and EQB.
Lithium iron phosphate batteries produced in the Ningde era
Not only these two large households use lithium iron phosphate batteries, but also some other representative manufacturers, BYD Han EV series use lithium iron phosphate batteries, other models that are not on the list but are also very mainstream, such as Xiaopeng P7, also added lithium iron phosphate battery versions on 2021 and 2022 models.
The models mentioned above are very weighty, and the terminal sales performance is good, it seems that lithium iron phosphate batteries are really recognized by manufacturers.
Rationality of lithium iron phosphate regression
In the early days of new energy vehicles, lithium iron phosphate batteries still occupied a place. Unlike ternary lithium batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries are relatively stable, but the energy density is not as good as ternary lithium batteries, and the two are considered differentiated competition.
However, with the guidance of subsidy policies and consumer demand, the mileage has become the first indicator to measure new energy vehicle products. In this way, ternary lithium batteries with high energy density have become the only truth of the version.
Ternary lithium battery pack
In the past year, with the decline of subsidies, the development of new energy vehicles is more inclined to marketization, and the cost of production and manufacturing is a big problem. At the same time, the rise in the price of raw materials such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt means that the cost of ternary lithium batteries has increased, and as the center of gravity of the cost of new energy vehicles, it is obviously impossible to say that the price of batteries does not affect the whole vehicle.
Guosen Securities wrote in a report: Under the influence of strong demand and production and power curtailment, the positive price continued to rise. The prices of three-yuan 523 batteries, three-yuan 622 batteries, and three-yuan 811 batteries reached 232,000 yuan / ton, 242,000 yuan / ton and 272,000 yuan / ton, respectively, an increase of 8%, 9% and 8% month-on-month; the price of lithium iron phosphate rose to 87,000 yuan / ton, an increase of 9% month-on-month.
Lithium mines in mining
From this information, we can see that although the price is rising, the price of lithium iron phosphate batteries is still relatively low, so mainstream manufacturers are equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries for entry-level models is actually a very rational choice.
In addition, with the technological progress of manufacturers and battery suppliers in battery technology, battery BMS, etc., the performance of lithium iron phosphate batteries on the whole vehicle has also made significant progress.
The 2021 Tesla Model 3 standard endurance afterdrive version uses a 55kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, NEDC endurance 468km, 2020 Tesla Model 3 standard endurance rear-drive upgrade version uses a 52kWh ternary lithium battery, NEDC life of 445km. Compared with the two cars, the lithium iron phosphate version has a larger battery capacity and a longer range.
The focus is on the guide price, the former is 40,000 yuan cheaper than the latter!
In addition to the cost, the lithium iron phosphate battery itself is not useless, but it is inferior to the ternary lithium battery in terms of energy density, to put it bluntly, it is not good to pile the mileage.
The single point of stable chemical properties is the core advantage of lithium iron phosphate batteries. Although the problem of new energy vehicle insurance has been solved to a certain extent, I think no one will give up safety for this, more is better than less, or it is the most cost-effective to avoid the problem from the source.
Recognize the needs and the core of the problem
From a personal point of view, new energy vehicles should not pursue mileage without brains, and it is good to use it. When we change to the fuel vehicle, when we measure the product strength of the vehicle, no one will take the original fuel tank volume as an important indicator, and for the fuel tank volume, only hardcore crossing enthusiasts may care more.
Late night charging station
Some people will say here, can charging be as convenient as refueling? That's right, but the essence of the problem is not the length of the mileage, but the convenience of replenishment. There is no necessary relationship between the two. At present, the direction of the industry is aimed at power exchange, compared to charging piles, power exchange can indeed save a lot of time and cost, but the power exchange is still in the development stage, there are still many needs to run in and standardize.
Let's imagine that if there is really a pure electric vehicle with an absurdly high mileage, then he is bound to have a large capacity battery pack, the car will be heavier, the time for replenishment will be longer, and perhaps the owner of this car will charge once every two weeks, but the charging time will inevitably increase.
The fuel vehicle is parked in front of the charging pile
At present, power exchange technology is actively promoting, and battery technology is constantly pushing new, such as Weilai's attempt to combine the advantages of ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries. There are also voices in the industry that lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary lithium batteries are not opposites, but mutually reinforcing relationships, and a single technical route cannot meet market demand. For consumers, more technology routes also mean more choices, and perhaps there is no perfect solution at the moment, but fortunately, the entire industry is moving in this direction.