The influence of national standard of low-speed electric vehicle on battery selection

For most industries, the formulation and promulgation of national standards are more beneficial than harmful to the standardization of the market, unified management, and reasonable competition among different enterprises. Recently, however, a national standard on low-speed electric vehicles has been formulated, but it has triggered a big battle between companies, academia, and the market.

Competition between Lead Battery and lithium battery

The cause of the matter was that on December 30, last year, after consultation with the relevant departments of low-speed electric vehicle standards, it was clear that low-speed electric vehicles were equipped with power batteries for lithium batteries and rejected lead batteries as low-speed electric vehicle power sources. Afterwards, Dongyang, the leader of the four-wheel low-speed electric vehicle standard drafting group and executive vice president of the China Automobile Industry Association, also pointed out in an article that the development of low-speed electric vehicle standards will not allow the use of lead batteries, and at the same time require positive and lateral collision experiments.

"If the new national standard is implemented, this means that 90 % of low-speed electric vehicle companies will be destroyed and the good situation in the low-speed electric vehicle industry will be destroyed. Weixueqin, executive vice president and secretary-general of the Shandong Automobile Association, reluctantly said in an interview.

Low-speed electric car companies also expressed concern about the introduction of this standard. Shuxin, general manager of Redding Automobile, said frankly that as far as the Shandong market is concerned, the mainstream price of low-speed electric vehicles is 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, accounting for more than 80 % of the entire market. If you change from lead batteries to lithium batteries, the price of bicycles will increase to 40,000 yuan, but this market is only about 5 %. "Such a small market is difficult to operate, dealers are difficult to feed, and the market will disappear in the future. "

What is the difference between a lead battery and a lithium battery? Which battery is more suitable for low-speed electric vehicles?

Safety is not a weakness of lead batteries. It is understood that the lead battery has been born for more than 160 years. Since its birth, the world has been developing new technologies to replace it. However, today, there is still no mature technology that can completely replace it.

The controversy focuses on the pollution risk of lead batteries. In 2016, the market size of low-speed electric vehicles has reached 1.2 million vehicles. Some experts believe that the use of lead batteries as a power source continues. When a large number of batteries are eliminated, lead pollution is easily caused during recycling and smelting, which not only endangers human health but also causes environmental pollution.

Therefore, in the low-speed electric vehicle battery selection, some experts have given high expectations for lithium batteries. Compared with lead batteries, lithium batteries have more advantages in energy density and cycle life. The use of lithium batteries can make low-speed electric vehicles more lightweight, and the range of endurance can also be increased.

In response, one industry person said, "lead battery recycling is a false proposition." "In 2016, traditional Chinese cars sold more than 28 million vehicles, that is, 28 million lead batteries. Why no one asks, traditional car lead battery recovery rate is what? "Based on trust, many people believe that the batteries of traditional cars have been recycled. Why do you suspect that people do not recycle when they are in low-speed electric vehicles?" he asked. "

Lu Hong, the standard member of Shandong Automobile Industry Association and chairman of Hugh Electric Machinery Co., Ltd., told reporters that if each city can set up a recycling point, the use of lead batteries in electric vehicles in batches is conducive to standardization. "A battery can sell for an average of 200 yuan, and no one is willing to throw it."

Wang Du, deputy secretary general of China Automobile Dealers Association, pointed out: "The problem is not pollution, but how to supervise it." It is understood that in Weifang, battery manufacturers Tianneng and Chaowei have set up more than ten collection points and established a complete system. Zhang Tianren, chairman of Tianneng Group, said in an interview that the recycling and recycling technology of lead storage batteries is very mature. At the end of last year, Tianneng Group's waste lead battery recycling capacity has been upgraded from 150,000 tons/year to 300,000 tons/year, and the recycling capacity has doubled.

Low speed electric cars can also produce fine products

In January this year, hundreds of Chinese electric vehicles held a closed-door meeting with some low-speed electric-vehicle companies. The meeting put forward two ideas: first, low-speed electric vehicles can allow rural areas to go directly to electrification without the transition of fuel trucks. Second, to revitalize the rural economy is to liberate the rural productive forces.

Some experts believe that there are buses, taxis, subways, and drive-by taxis in large cities, but there are very few transportation in rural areas. Rural transportation is also being implemented, but it is still inconvenient for a few classes a day. Because the cost of using a car is relatively high, the gas station must be separated by more than ten or twenty kilometers, and there are fewer rural car buyers. "The advantages of low-speed electric vehicles are particularly obvious. Short trips do not require special speed and help the active rural economy. At the same time, rural charging is very convenient, the household 220 volts can be completed. "

The data show that from 2014 to 2016, low-speed electric vehicles grew at an average annual rate of more than 50 % and were developed without any state subsidies. In the 4th and 5th cities and rural markets, low-speed electric vehicles with a price of about 20,000 yuan meet the consumer demand of low-income families.

However, for a long time, low-speed electric vehicles were used as a "culprit" for many road congestion and safety accidents due to the fact that low-speed electric vehicles were not on the market and users did not have driver's licenses. Drivers did not understand traffic rules and other reasons. In addition, the quality of low-speed electric vehicles themselves has also become controversial. "I have always believed that low speed and low price do not mean low quality, and low-speed electric vehicles also need to be upgraded in a good direction. Shijianhua, deputy secretary-general of the China Automobile Industry Association, said in an interview.

In fact, low-speed electric vehicles have gradually entered the industry upgrade in recent years. Among them, there are companies represented by Zhidou, which have adopted a coalition with high-speed car production companies. With the help of high-speed car production qualifications, they have entered the product catalog of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and achieved a turnaround; In addition, there are also companies that introduce new technologies represented by Reading and upgrade themselves. At Leidingxin plant in weifang, Shandong province, the reporter saw the same four kinds of stamping, welding, painting and assembly processes as the traditional vehicle manufacturing. There are more than a hundred robotic arms in the factory, as well as professional testing techniques such as test runways and rain detection lines.

At the same time, in order to solve a series of problems brought about by "black households", low-speed electric vehicle companies also upgrade their products through industry self-discipline to improve related after-sales services.

"Although we are low-speed electric vehicles, we really are not low-speed low-quality. "Through connectivity technologies such as back-office data and optimized positioning, we have helped customers find hundreds of lost cars," said an insider from a low-speed electric vehicle company. From battery, motor to control system data, fault code can all be transmitted to the background to achieve large data optimization. In many ways, we are no worse than a high-speed car. "

As a result of product upgrades, the supply chain of low-speed electric vehicles has also been upgraded accordingly, and its suppliers have gradually upgraded from the original commercial vehicle suppliers to passenger vehicle suppliers. Because the quality of some low-speed electric vehicle companies has risen rapidly, some outstanding suppliers have come to the door and the quality of the supply chain has improved, which has further promoted the development of low-speed electric vehicles in the regular direction.

Luolei, deputy secretary-general of the China Automobile Circulation Association, believes: "The government must guide these car companies and can not sit idly by; We should lower the entry threshold and encourage more powerful enterprises to participate. Low-speed electric vehicles also need to improve the quality, in line with the country's quality requirements for new energy car products, so that there is a chance to enter the urban consumer market. "

The page contains the contents of the machine translation.