author
Zhang Zhidong
Self-research and self-use has become a thing of the past, and BYD, the second oldest of the millennium, officially opened the "vertical and horizontal".
Responsible editor 丨 Cui Liwen
Editor 丨Zhu Jinbin
The Ningde era is to the left, and BYD is to the right.
At the beginning of 2022, the two domestic power battery market leaders chose different directions: just when the Ningde era vigorously promoted the replacement brand EVOGO to break the circle, BYD's battery business also developed to a new stage - joint venture construction.
Make money, don't be humble. According to the latest data from the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, BYD ranked second in the total installed volume of domestic power batteries in 2021, accounting for 16.2% of the market share; above it is the Ningde era of "sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai", and below it is the momentum of China Innovation Airlines and Guoxuan Hi-Tech.
The changes in the market competition pattern cannot be ignored, coupled with the cost pressure brought about by the soaring prices of raw materials, the self-sufficient BYD can only find new incremental markets according to the written script. Thus, the first "FAW Fordy" to eat crab appeared.
On January 15, FAW Fudi New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. was established, with BYD and FAW Group accounting for 51% and 49% of the shares respectively, mainly engaged in the production and manufacture of core components such as new energy cells and modules. The related battery factory will be divided into three phases of construction, which can eventually achieve an annual production capacity of 45GWh, enough to supply blade batteries for more than 1 million vehicles.
In fact, the giants of battery companies such as Cataline Times and LG New Energy have had similar operations - joint ventures with car companies to establish a new enterprise, and then invest in the construction of battery factories to expand production capacity, while the two sides make further bindings; in this way, one side provides technology, one side provides the market, and there is a high probability that a "win-win" in a special sense can be achieved.
However, why should we say that this cooperation model is of landmark significance for BYD?
01
BYD's "battery view" is inseparable from Verdy
In 2021, uncertainty abounds. Some time ago, BYD also rose sharply because of the sharp rise in raw material prices and the decline in new energy car purchase subsidies, and the prices of all models increased. Yes, you read that right, even with blade batteries sitting in the atrium and self-sufficiency, BYD is still difficult to resist the surging trend.
On the one hand, it is necessary to deal with the increase in costs, on the other hand, it is necessary to fight against competition from all directions, and in such a complex market environment, the pawn that BYD once laid , Fordy, is about to come in handy.
Fordy, from the Book of Verses. Daya. Sang Rou " - "Wei this good man, Fu Qiu Fu Di", which means honesty and faith, down-to-earth and hard work. With the help of the word Fordy, BYD has launched a series of companies: Fordi Battery Co., Ltd., Fordi Vision Co., Ltd., Fordi Technology Co., Ltd., Fordi Power Co., Ltd., and Fordi Mold Co., Ltd.
Other "Fordy" companies do not mention for the time being, and the power battery is strongly related to the Fudi Battery Co., Ltd., but can be called a long history. The name for Fordy Battery was registered in May 2019, but its predecessor dates back to 1998, when the company was also called "BYD Lithium Battery Co., Ltd."
Up to now, Fordi Battery Co., Ltd. has been renamed Asy Industrial Co., Ltd., and the "FAW Fordi" mentioned above is produced by Fordi Industrial Co., Ltd., which accounts for 51% of the shares. And it is worth noting that Fordy Industry is not a halfway out of the house, and it has 100% independent research and development, design and production capacity in the field of batteries, covering consumer 3C batteries, power batteries and energy storage batteries, cascade utilization and other fields, and the application fields are more involved in IT, automobiles, new energy, light rail transportation...
The well-known blade battery on the market is from the hands of Fordy. And according to anecdotal news, Tesla Model Q will be equipped with blade batteries listed in China in 2023; Toyota will use BYD technology to build electric vehicles; FAW and other car companies are also actively negotiating cooperation...
The emergence of blade batteries not only solves BYD's own battery supply, but also plays another important role in the entire power battery industry - so that lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary batteries have a battle, laying the foundation for the market pattern of "equal division" between the two sides.
Of course, not all the credit comes from BYD and blade batteries, but what can be seen is that as lithium iron phosphate gradually gained the upper hand and bet heavily on bydirection of the route, BYD not only has a first-mover advantage and technical advantages, but also with a more mature battery cost control, further contributing to the sales of Changhong in 2021.
Looking at the essence through the phenomenon, BYD's sales performance of "one dozen and ten" cannot be achieved overnight, and behind it is indispensable to the support of companies like "Fordy". The successive establishment of 5 "Fordy" companies will not be the first, and BYD Semiconductor, which has just gone public, will not be the last.
It is not difficult to see that with the emergence of "FAW Fordy", BYD's open strategy has achieved initial results. The existence of Fordy Battery makes it easier for BYD to take a step forward on the basis of the existing battery business to seek new incremental markets. After all, for all car companies, there are no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
02
There is no "lithium" to make trouble, but the capacity competition is imperative
As we all know, the reason why most car companies turn to lithium iron phosphate batteries, in addition to safety, cost reduction is also an important reason for deciding everyone's choice. However, what is unexpected is that the "lithium mine" has also become full of gunpowder under the pursuit of the market.
Last year's "lithium mine hu hu incident" echoed, the dark tide surged at the same time, BYD also could not hold back the temperament, in the beginning of 2022, it joined the ranks of "grabbing mines".
On January 12, local time, the Chilean Ministry of Mines issued an announcement that BYD and a local mining company obtained a quota for mining lithium metal in the country. Among them, BYD won the bid with a maximum price of $61 million, and obtained a contract that included 7-9 years of exploration rights and 20 years of production rights.
Not surprisingly, only two days after the hammer was dropped, on January 14, local time, the Chilean court suspended BYD's contract involving a total of 80,000 tons of metal lithium production quota. According to foreign media sources, the mining contract was suspended because the governor of Copiapó State, where the lithium mine is located, and the indigenous community near the Salar de Atacama Salt Lake filed an appeal, arguing that the mining affected the environment.
Although the local court also said that BYD's bidding was not finally cancelled, the follow-up results became intriguing. If political factors aside, the game between enterprises and enterprises can already be found as early as 2021, when the "mine grabbing" war between Ningwang and Ganfeng Lithium began. As for the trouble that BYD encountered this time, it may as well let the bullets fly a little longer.
Regarding the purpose of "grabbing mines", in addition to the idea of investment, it is nothing more than to control costs and then use them to make batteries. This purpose, in addition to being viewed from the perspective of improving the upstream and downstream industrial chains, can also be further deduced to the place where the competition is more intense - the production capacity competition.
According to public information, by 2025, the planned production capacity of the Ningde era will reach at least 670GWh; the capacity planning of China New Venture Will exceed 500GWh; The Honeycomb Energy has set a production capacity target of "600GWh in 2025"; Guoxuan Hi-Tech also wrote in the 2021 semi-annual report: Strive to achieve a production capacity of 300GWh in 2025...
As for BYD, integrating various projects, its planned battery production capacity will exceed 600GWh by 2025. According to public information statistics, just in the past 2021, BYD's expansion plan has also begun, and at least 6 expansion projects are being implemented, expanding production capacity by more than 170GWh.
03
"Sharpen the knife" Hoho, where is the sharpness?
It is not difficult to see that in the capacity competition, market share competition, and the strong new energy market today, the major power battery companies have long been rubbing their fists. Preparing to go public, preparing to expand production, "maverick" BYD is also accumulating strength for the new market pattern.
The success of BYD Semiconductor means that BYD's core technology is gradually split and developed, and it is officially on the right track. And with the "new four modernizations" concept of the automotive industry deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, about parts, semiconductor devices, power batteries, etc., the market multi-level, all-round demand, more opportunities began to emerge, so the deterministic market is in front of you, saying that it is false to say that it is not moved.
Moreover, in the face of the drastic changes in the entire industry, the reaction of car companies is both the fastest and the largest. Otherwise, the so-called "soul theory" would not have been so hotly circulated in the market. When the car companies themselves become cautious about technology, the next choice is: either "eggs are not in one basket" or "roll up your sleeves and do it yourself".
However, the question that arises: car companies have fully developed their own products, will Tier1 agree? Further, car companies have opened their own battery business, Ningde times, Zhongxin Aviation and other "professional track members" who live on batteries, how will they feel?
There is no doubt that the old rules still exist and are not so easy to break, but the adherents and formulators of the new rules have begun to gather strength and prepare to give it a go. Whether BYD's "split action" method can be successful is not certain for the time being, but it is certain that under such a model, the new pattern will blossom and bear some fruits in the new year of 2022.
"This time we climbed up, we didn't come down, this time must be more violent than the shock wave of the 2015 SUV, because this attack is with battery electronic control and intelligent core technology!" At the end of 2021, Wang Chuanfu said in the new conference room of the BYD Hexagon.
Perhaps, 2022 will become the year when BYD decisively fights the "old rules", but I don't know if other practitioners can keep up.
C-DIMENSION
WeChat | Automobile Commune C dimension