China: High-nickel 811 materials for mass production of solid-state lithium batteries are still being tested

According to the data of the National Federation of Manufacturers, the sales volume of new energy passenger vehicles reached 73,000 in April, a year-on-year increase of 150%, an increase of 31% from March. Dongshu Cui, secretary-general of the National Federation of Trade Unions, pointed out that the surge in sales in April is a good manifestation of the new energy passenger cars gradually getting rid of the policy dependence, especially the sales of plug-in hybrids and A-class electric vehicles are growing rapidly. The market share of new energy vehicles in China is still growing. However, in order to achieve breakthrough growth, long-life high-performance East Lithium batteries are indispensable, and how will China, Japan and South Korea stage a three-nation kill in this field in the future? Let's get to know each other.

Japan: Government support, companies jointly develop solid-state batteries

Previously, Normand, head of Renault's automotive business, publicly stated that all-solid-state batteries are a new hope for the automotive industry. They have a huge advantage in terms of cost, density and thermal stability compared to current lithium-ion batteries, and will be mainly used for long-term life in the future electric car.

Recently, several leading Japanese automakers – Toyota, Nissan, Honda and the Japanese government have cooperated with the company. The new project also cooperates with companies such as LIBTEC, Panasonic and GS Yuasa developed solid state batteries. In addition, in support of the project, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry intend to provide 1.6 billion yen to LIBTEC.

It can be seen that Japan's new energy car companies have a deep understanding of solid-state batteries. Toyota is particularly prominent in research investment in this area. Deep-plowed solid-state battery technology for many years, Toyota's solid-state battery has not yet been commercialized, but since October last year, Toyota has invested more than 200 people to promote the development of solid-state batteries. This cooperation with LIBTEC will make better use of the expertise of the members of LIBTEC. It is reported that LIBTEC plans to increase the mileage of electric vehicles to 550 kilometers by 2025, and expects to increase the mileage of electric vehicles to 800 kilometers by 2030.

The commercialization of solid-state batteries is accelerating, and it is very beneficial for Japanese automakers to occupy the high-performance power battery market. Further, it can promote the development of new energy vehicles in Japan in the direction of higher endurance, and ultimately increase the market share of Japanese cars in the new energy vehicle market. .

In 2013, Japanese companies accounted for 70% of the global automotive battery market. But five years later, with the rise of China's new energy vehicle market, China's share of the global automotive battery market has soared from 3% to around 30%, while the share of Japanese companies has shrunk to 40%.

Therefore, Japan is also eager to achieve a higher share of the market by accelerating solid-state battery research to achieve commercial and solid-state battery standards. From the patent data, Japan has achieved certain results on high-performance solid-state batteries. According to the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Japan accounted for more than half of all global solid-state battery-related patents from 2012 to 2014.

South Korea: Accelerating investment in China to push high-nickel ternary batteries

Unlike Japan's own "making a car", Korean companies value China's new energy vehicle market, and will accelerate investment in China in the future. The main product is not a solid-state battery that Japan values, but a high-nickel ternary battery.

According to reports, a new domestic energy vehicle manufacturer is currently negotiating cooperation with South Korean battery companies, and plans to use the other's battery products in new models after 2019. South Korean battery manufacturers have also accelerated their investment in China.

About SKInnovation, a well-known Korean battery manufacturer is particularly active in investing in China. SKInnovation renamed its SK Battery China Holding Company “SK Blue Dragon Energy” and invested 86.4 billion won in establishing a battery material production joint venture in China. SK believes that the new factory is not as close to China's localized joint venture production, and the method of diversified and batch investment is low in cost and quick in results.

It is reported that SKInnovation will begin mass production of NCM811 batteries in the second half of 2018. The high-nickel ternary material batteries will be more suitable for new energy vehicles and can significantly improve their cruising range. At the same time, Japan and South Korea's other battery companies, LG Chem plans to mass-produce NCMA712 batteries in 2021, mass production of NCMA batteries in 2022, Samsung SDI is fully developing nickel-cobalt aluminum batteries.

China: High-nickel 811 materials for mass production of solid-state lithium batteries are still being tested

It is not unreasonable for South Korea to choose a diversified and batch investment method in China and joint venture production with China. Because China's current lithium battery enterprises are large in scale and large in number domestically, not only the development of solid-state lithium batteries, but also the layout of ternary material batteries. Policy support and corporate investment have enabled China's ternary material batteries to accelerate progress.

On May 7th, the High-Tech Research and Development Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology released the 2018 annual project publicity list of the key special projects of the national key R&D plan “New Energy Vehicles”, including the technical high-energy passenger car battery system technology research and high. 25 key special projects such as specific energy lithium battery technology, self-driving electric vehicle testing and evaluation technology, full-power fuel cell passenger car power system platform and vehicle.

Under the escort of China's policies, enterprises will gain more room to play in high-performance power batteries.

In terms of solid-state batteries, Ganfeng Lithium said on the investor interaction platform on May 7 that the company's solid-state lithium battery is still in the experimental stage, but has passed a number of third-party security tests. The company aims to mass produce solid-state lithium batteries at a competitive price in 2019 and market them.

In terms of high-nickel ternary materials, Dangsheng Technology has achieved mass production of high-nickel 811 battery cathode materials. On April 26, Dangsheng Technology said in an investor survey that the company has already achieved mass production of high-nickel 811 cathode materials; it is expected that production and sales will continue to increase substantially in 2018.

Regarding the high-nickel 811 product, Dangsheng Technology stated that the 811 product belongs to the high-nickel multi-element cathode material and has obvious advantages in improving the battery density. Dangsheng Technology is one of the few companies that can mass-produce 811 products. It has already achieved mass production, and 811 products are mainly used for power batteries for new energy vehicles.

The merger and reorganization of the cathode materials industry is increasing. M&A and restructuring is an important driving force for enterprises to become bigger and stronger, especially in the current fierce competition in the industry. The company will rely on the capital market platform and technological advantages to accelerate the upstream and downstream cooperation of the industrial chain and enhance the company's ability to leapfrog development.

Lithium battery experts said that 2018 will be the first year of high-nickel 811 material battery production. At present, high-nickel ternary materials are mainly mass-produced on cylindrical batteries. Square and soft-pack batteries are not mature due to the technology, and high-nickel ternary materials are popularized in the following.

The high-nickel 811 material battery is a new technology. It is not mature in some aspects of actual manufacturing. It also needs battery companies to continuously increase scientific research investment and optimize products and processes. However, with the gradual mass production of high-nickel 811 materials, it means that China's power battery industry will lead the Korean enterprises in high-nickel ternary materials and enter the era of high energy density. As a traditional lithium-powered country, Japan's research on solid-state batteries has been supported by high-level Japanese companies. With rich research results, it will lead the world in developing high-performance solid-state power batteries. China will promote the use of high-performance solid-state batteries in the wake of policy incubation and market catalysis following Japan.

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