Low energy density, short cycle life, coupled with lead pollution to the environment, make lead-acid batteries more and more criticized in today's society.
Although China's new energy vehicle industry chain has achieved rapid development in recent years, making lithium-ion batteries the mainstream power source, it is surprising that even the new energy vehicles we use every day, most of the common "12V small batteries" still use traditional lead-acid batteries.
In addition, the degree of intelligence of today's cars is getting higher and higher, what smart screen, top audio or something can be said to be readily available, which makes the overall power consumption of new energy more and more, and the traditional lead-acid battery is obviously a little "powerless".
Don't worry, after more than 10 years of development, BYD finally succeeded in giving a perfect answer--- lithium iron phosphate battery, eliminating backward lead storage, and realizing lead-free car.
Pollution-free power: BYD's lithium iron phosphate made a shocking debut
As early as 2005, BYD has launched the first lithium iron phosphate power battery and began to lay out in the field of new energy. Three years later, BYD launched the F3DM new energy vehicle, which was equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries for the first time.
In the second year of the "Ten Cities and Thousands of Vehicles" project, lithium iron phosphate batteries have occupied a major share of the market. In 2020, BYD's blade battery is the culmination of lithium iron phosphate batteries, with an energy density of 180Wh/kg, which is comparable to ternary batteries.
Lithium iron phosphate battery, the cathode material is LiFePO4, which belongs to lithium-ion batteries. Compared with the traditional lead-acid battery, the latter uses lead and lead oxygen as the positive and negative electrode materials, and the electrolyte is dilute sulfuric acid.
A large amount of lead-containing soot and lead-acid liquid and other hazardous wastes will be generated in the manufacture, utilization and recycling of batteries, and if there is no effective treatment and disposal, it will cause serious pollution to the atmosphere, water and soil.
In contrast, lithium iron phosphate batteries do not contain any heavy metals and rare metals such as cobalt, nickel, cadmium, etc., the mining and processing of these metals can cause resource depletion and environmental damage. At the same time, lithium iron phosphate batteries are easy to recycle, and can be regenerated by physical or chemical methods, improving resource utilization and reducing the difficulty and cost of waste disposal.
The cycle life of lithium iron phosphate batteries is also many times that of lead-acid batteries, which can reach more than 2,000 times or even more than 3,500 times, while the cycle life of lead-acid batteries is generally only about 300 times, and the highest is 500 times.
The theoretical life of lithium iron phosphate batteries can reach 7~8 years, but the actual life is also affected by factors such as the use environment, charging and discharging conditions, and battery management systems, while the theoretical life of lead-acid batteries is generally only 1~1.5 years, and the actual life is shorter.
Moreover, the capacity attenuation rate of lithium iron phosphate batteries is low, and it can maintain high capacity and performance even under harsh conditions such as high temperature, high rate, and deep discharge, while the capacity attenuation rate of lead-acid batteries is high, and it is easy to be affected by factors such as temperature, current, and depth, resulting in a decline in capacity and performance.
The frequent occurrence of battery explosions and injuries has always been a concern for the majority of car buyers. The thermal runaway temperature of traditional lead-acid batteries is about 200 degrees, and there is a risk of explosion and fire in the event of overcharge and short circuit.
The thermal runaway temperature of lithium iron phosphate battery is as high as 500 degrees, and the safety threshold is greatly improved. Moreover, lithium iron phosphate, the cathode material of lithium iron phosphate batteries, is a stable inorganic compound, which does not contain heavy metals and rare metals, does not produce toxic gases or liquids, and is harmless to the environment and human body.
Lithium iron phosphate batteries are equipped with multiple protections in the internal structure, including overcharge protection, overdischarge protection, short-circuit protection and temperature protection. This effectively prevents damage or failure of the battery.
Never damaged?BYD battery technology truth analysis
In fact, if you really want to compare performance, it is still slightly inferior to the Nobel Prize-winning ternary battery technology, but BYD claims that the lithium iron phosphate battery is maintenance-free and adds a lot of advantages to it.
But some people are going to question it, everything has a shelf life, can BYD's lithium iron phosphate battery violate the laws of physics and never be damaged?
In fact, BYD's performance in this regard can be said to be a clever play on words. According to BYD's official website, the battery has a life of more than 10 years and has a "more than 3,000 cycle life", which is much longer than the average life of ordinary lead-acid batteries of about 3 years.
The average lifespan of a non-commercial private new energy vehicle is about 8 years or 150,000 kilometers. For commercial vehicles such as taxis, the lifespan is about 6 years or 600,000 kilometers.
Therefore, BYD's so-called "life" is compared with the life of the car itself, which can be the same life as the whole vehicle and can not be replaced for life, not really can be used all the time without replacement. In addition, the battery is equipped with a BMS battery management system, which can realize real-time monitoring of battery indicators and dynamic management.
Hexagonal warriors? lithium iron phosphate real experience!
Currently, there are several cars equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries. Even Tesla has adopted lithium iron phosphate batteries on its entry-level models such as the Model 3 and Model Y.
Ford also plans to launch electric models equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries, including the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV and the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. In addition, companies such as BYD and the Volkswagen Group are also promoting models equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries.
In terms of user experience, a user said that the full NEDC battery life of lithium iron phosphate battery is 525KM, which he believes is very sufficient. Because the lithium iron phosphate battery can be charged to 100%, the actual battery life is basically the same as that of the ternary lithium version.
Of course, there are also car owners who have exposed the problem of serious reduction in the winter range of pure electric vehicles. For example, a BYD Han user found that although the official actual test reached 660 kilometers, the actual charge could only run 230 kilometers.
Another Tesla Model 3 owner reported that the mileage was 420 kilometers, but after driving 241 kilometers, the battery was only about 5%, which was equivalent to a 6% discount on the range.
This is actually related to the reason why lithium iron phosphate is resistant to high temperatures but not low temperatures. At lower temperatures, the ionic viscosity inside the lithium iron phosphate battery increases, which limits the movement of lithium ions in the electrolyte, making it impossible to release the power normally.
Of course, lithium iron phosphate batteries have a longer lifespan than many other types of batteries. This means that although its performance may degrade in low temperatures, it can still provide reliable performance throughout its lifetime.
epilogue
BYD is the world's first automobile company to adopt lithium iron phosphate small batteries, and has successfully put into use more than 2 million new energy vehicles. Its lithium iron phosphate battery not only demonstrates the company's innovative strength and improves user experience, but also makes significant contributions in the field of environmental protection.
By leading scientific and technological progress and taking environmental protection as its own responsibility, BYD has made outstanding efforts to promote the development of the new energy vehicle industry chain and realize a sustainable society.
The leading role of technology and innovation has injected vitality into social progress, while the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development has attracted much attention. It is hoped that more companies will follow BYD's example, shape the direction of the industry with innovation and responsibility, and contribute to creating a better future.