Another "destination" for lithium iron phosphate batteries

Lithium-iron phosphate batteries are gradually coming into view because they are more efficient and energy-efficient than lead-acid batteries. At present, lithium iron phosphate batteries are mainly used in electric vehicles and have gradually entered the communications industry in the past two years. Among the three operators, China Mobile has relatively more applications for lithium iron phosphate batteries, and China Telecom and China Unicom are more cautious. The reasons for the large-scale use of lithium iron phosphate batteries are mainly high prices and concerns about reliability.

Wide prospects for mobile first tender

From the performance point of view, the life of lithium iron phosphate batteries is much longer than that of lead-acid batteries. The average cycle life of lead-acid batteries is about 300 times, while that of lithium iron batteries can reach more than 2,000 times. In addition, iron-lithium batteries are safer, do not explode, and can achieve high current rapid charging and discharging. At the same time, lithium iron phosphate batteries are more resistant to high temperatures and have an electric peak of 350 °C to 500 °C. In practical applications, the use of battery thermostats can be cancelled.

At the end of 2010, Henan Province, China Mobile Group, launched a centralized procurement tender for lithium iron phosphate batteries. This is also the first centralized tender for this product within China Mobile. Zhang Le, of Henan Mobile Network Transportation and Maintenance Department, said that Henan Mobile had already conducted a small-scale trial of lithium iron phosphate batteries, "good results." It is understood that the tender for the lithium iron phosphate battery was actually commissioned by China Mobile Henan Mobile, and the purchased products will not be limited to mobile applications in Henan.

This is a big fat piece.

According to their previous market research, the market would be as much as 800 billion yuan if all of China Mobile's existing common lead-acid batteries were replaced with lithium-iron phosphate batteries.

"At least 2-3 years of trial. "A person in charge of a battery manufacturer who was shortlisted for Henan Mobile tender said:" If the trial results after this China Mobile centralized procurement are good, then 2-3 years later will begin large-scale application; If the trial effect is not satisfactory, then it will have to be delayed. "

High price net application time is insufficient

At present, it seems that the primary factor affecting the large-scale application of lithium iron phosphate batteries is price. The current market price of mainstream lithium iron phosphate batteries is on average two to three times higher than that of lead-acid batteries, or even more than five times. If the lithium-iron battery can indeed reach a useful life of 10 years, then compared to the 2 years of lead acid battery life, the investment return is also OK. But in practice, operators still find the current price too expensive.

"If the price is twice as high as lead-acid batteries, it's not worth it. "China Telecom Group Network Department product support department Dumin said. China Telecom has several provincial companies experimenting with lithium iron phosphate batteries. Relatively speaking, the scale is not too large. Between a few hundred and a thousand teams, each group has a capacity of no more than 50 hours.

In addition to the price, the lack of adequate data support is another important reason why operators are temporarily reluctant to use lithium iron phosphate batteries on a large scale.

Mr. Dumin said a new product would have to go through at least three stages to be put into mass use. The first is that there can be no problem in theory. Second, data support for the ageing test is needed. Third, the need for a certain amount of time and scale of the current network trial.

In theory, lithium iron phosphate batteries are safer and more reliable than lead-acid batteries, and the cycle charging and discharging life can reach 10 years, which can solve the problem of high pollution and short life span of the latter. However, in terms of aging test data, the current lithium iron phosphate battery does not provide sufficient reliable data support. As for the current network application, the longest trial time for lithium iron phosphate batteries in the communications industry is about two years, and it is not yet possible to reach a conclusion that it can be used on a large scale.

Chenmingjun does not agree that the lack of sufficient data support is the main reason that affects the use of lithium iron phosphate batteries by operators. "The reason why they do not want to use it is actually because of 'political' reasons. "Chenmingjun pointed out," With new technologies, what happens once something goes wrong? If you use old technology, you don't have to take responsibility if something goes wrong. "

Chenmingjun is the chairman of Shenzhen Shanmu Battery Group. Shanmu Battery is the first company in China to achieve mass production of lithium iron phosphate batteries. At present, the daily output can reach 100,000 Ants. Chenmingjun also considers himself to be "listening to the first-line artillery." Battery industry authority. He said there was ample data to show that lithium-iron phosphate batteries performed far better than lead-acid batteries and could replace lead-acid batteries.

As for the concern of operators that "prices are much higher than lead-acid batteries," Chenmingjun believes it is not a problem. "It's no problem to double the price of lead-acid batteries. Just give me a big one and I 'll be up to five times higher. " said Chenmingjun.

It is understood that although the domestic lithium ore reserves are very rich, the raw materials required for lithium iron phosphate batteries are synthetic materials, and domestic suppliers 'production equipment and processes can not keep up. Good lithium iron phosphate battery manufacturers import raw materials from abroad. At present, the price of imported raw materials from abroad exceeds 120,000 yuan per ton, and domestic raw materials are relatively cheap. Each ton is only 70,000 to 90,000 yuan, but the quality of the batteries produced is not as good as the former.

In addition to raw materials, the price of production equipment also varies. Take the coating machine as an example. This is the second step in the production of lithium iron phosphate batteries. The price of a domestic coating machine is about one million, and if you use imported equipment, the price will be tens of millions.

Waiting for an electric car

Professor Zhangshuzhi of China Mobile Group Design Institute believes that in the short term, lithium iron phosphate batteries are difficult to obtain large-scale applications in the communications industry. Although Henan Mobile has already started centralized procurement, Zhangshuzhi pointed out that this is still a pilot application. "The price of centralized procurement is stricter and it is not yet possible to purchase on a large scale. "Zhangshuzhi said.

In fact, at present, operators do not even have access to the network for lithium iron phosphate batteries. The lack of standards, on the other hand, also confirms that no operator has the intention to introduce lithium iron phosphate batteries on a large scale.

For now, lithium-iron phosphate batteries are focused on the electric car market. The state's support policies for electric vehicles have become quite obvious. The draft of the "12th Five-Year Plan" for electric vehicles has been drafted, and pilot projects for electric vehicles have been launched in various regions. At the just-concluded Tianjin International Auto forum, technology minister wan gang made it clear that the next five years will be a critical period for the transition from research to industrialization of electric vehicles, and the key to China's ability to make this strategic emerging industry big and strong.

This may be a good thing for the communications industry. The large demand for iron and lithium batteries in electric vehicles will promote the rapid increase in related processes and the rapid decline in prices, and the number of manufacturers entering this field will also increase significantly. By then, the communications industry's trial of lithium iron phosphate batteries has accumulated sufficient experience in the field, and suitable prices for lithium iron batteries and a large number of optional manufacturers will be "readily available." After all, smart firms will not give up on hundreds of billions or even trillions of potential markets in the communications industry.

The page contains the contents of the machine translation.