Recently, Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said publicly in the media: "It's time to squeeze out the water (lithium)!" We can't force the power battery and new energy vehicle manufacturers to limit production and stop production to show you, there was no winner at that time."
Chen Shihua, deputy secretary-general of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (picture from the Internet, invasion and deletion)
In fact, since the beginning of 2022, new energy vehicles have appeared two rounds of price increases, many automobile companies have raised sales prices, ranging from thousands of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan, and a number of them are on the way to price increases, which can be described as "rising tide".
According to the survey of China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, from the beginning of 2021 to March 2022, the average price of cathode 523 ternary material rose from 124,000 yuan / ton to 368,000 yuan / ton, an increase of 196.8%; the average price of lithium iron phosphate material rose from 40,000 yuan / ton to 162,000 yuan / ton, an increase of 305%.
Flush data
In terms of upstream raw materials, the price of lithium materials rose the most, the average price of spodumene rose from 25,000 yuan / ton to 136,000 yuan / ton, an increase of 444.0%, driving the average price of battery-grade lithium carbonate from 53,000 yuan / ton to 495,000 yuan / ton, an increase of 833.9%.
At present, data show that thanks to the sharp rise in upstream raw materials, the production cost of a new energy model with a ternary battery has increased by 0.5 million to 17,000 yuan, and car companies have to raise sales prices as a last resort.
To this end, Chen Shihua said: The strong market demand has brought about a certain increase in the price of upstream raw materials, which is understandable, but the current increase has obviously been separated from the important factor of supply and demand, there is hoarding, artificial speculation and other situations, and the moisture is serious.
Chen Shihua cited data showing that about 65% of the mainland's lithium resources need to be imported, but the mainland is also an important exporter of lithium product processing, and there is no big gap in the overall domestic supply and demand. In recent years, the domestic lithium mine development, salt lake lithium production capacity has gradually enlarged, domestic lithium raw material manufacturers and power battery manufacturers are also in the global layout, lithium supply can meet the needs of industrial development.
In addition, Chen Shihua believes that taking the opportunity to speculate on the price of raw materials upstream of power batteries is undoubtedly contrary to the national new energy vehicle development strategy. Upstream materials rose sharply and viciously, and industry enterprises reacted strongly, if they could not be effectively curbed, it would have a serious negative impact on the stable, orderly and healthy development of the automobile market.
Finally, Chen Shihua said: "It's time to squeeze the water! The China Automobile Association pays close attention to the price changes of power battery raw materials and reflects the relevant situation to the competent government departments in a timely manner." Recently, the Department of Raw Material Industry and the First Department of Equipment Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with the Price Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, the Price Supervision and Inspection bureau of the State Administration of Market Supervision and the Bureau of Anti-Unfair Competition, specially organized and held a symposium on the operation of the lithium industry and the symposium on the price increase of upstream materials for power batteries to carry out the work of ensuring supply and stabilizing prices.