Development of high nickel technology for power lithium battery -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
At present, the power battery industry pattern is undergoing the "three kill" between China, Japan and South Korea. Due to the policy dividend and subsidy advantages in the early stage, China's battery industry has made considerable progress, and China has become the country with the largest power battery shipment in the world. Ningde Times, BYD and others have risen rapidly, and there is little difference with foreign enterprises in technology. But objectively speaking, China's battery industry as a whole still does not have the ability to comprehensively compete with Japan and South Korea.
Recently, a news triggered a new topic in the battery industry, saying that Ningde Times is expected to launch a new battery using NCM811 (nickel cobalt manganese ternary lithium) technology next year. If this plan is successfully implemented, it will have an important impact on the pattern of China's and even the global new energy vehicle power battery industry.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
NCM811 battery refers to the nickel cobalt manganese ratio of positive material in ternary lithium battery is 8:1:1, which is also known as high nickel battery. High nickel means higher energy density and lower cobalt content. Because cobalt is expensive and unstable, high nickel 811 battery can not only increase battery life but also significantly reduce cost. At present, the type of ternary lithium battery commonly used in China is 523, and a few enterprises can produce 622 type batteries.
According to the requirements of the Medium and Long term Development Plan of the Automotive Industry issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, by 2020, the specific energy of the new energy steam power battery will reach more than 300Wh/kg, and strive to achieve 350Wh/kg, and the specific energy of the system will reach 260Wh/kg, and the cost will be reduced to less than 1 yuan/Wh. By 2025, new energy vehicles will account for more than 20% of automobile production and sales, and the specific energy of power battery system will reach 350Wh/kg.
The current mainstream NCM523 battery can reach 160-200Wh/kg, while NCM622 and NCM811 can reach 230Wh/kg and 280Wh/kg respectively. Therefore, to meet the requirements of power battery energy density and range in the planning, it is an inevitable trend to vigorously develop NCM811 batteries.
Cost pressure caused by cobalt price rise is "catalyst"
The rise in the price of upstream raw materials puts great pressure on battery manufacturers, while the rise in the price of cobalt as the cathode raw material brings the greatest cost pressure. In order to relieve the cost pressure, the domestic mainstream battery enterprises basically choose to reduce the use proportion of cobalt through the innovation of ternary cathode materials.
According to the public information, BYD, Ningde Times, Guoxuan Hi Tech, Shanshan Energy, etc. have been deployed in the field of high nickel 811 batteries. By increasing the proportion of nickel, increasing the energy density of the battery, and reducing the use of cobalt, it has resisted the cost pressure brought by the rising price of ternary materials in terms of cost.
BYD has previously said that it is expected to start using ternary high nickel 811 batteries in the second half of 2019. At the beginning of this year, Guoxuan High Tech said that it had developed Sanyuan 811 material soft package electric core, and the energy density could reach 302wh/kg, and it is expected to produce and supply in small batches in 2019.
It will take time for Chinese enterprises with high nickel batteries to have a low say in commercialization
Although the 811 ternary system material is sought after by the industry, its commercialization due to its technical shortcomings is also a real problem.
In terms of technology, nickel element is unstable. In the production process of high nickel battery, it is easy to suffer from adverse reactions such as weakened cycle performance, reduced safety performance, and reduced charging efficiency. However, it is more difficult in storage and production process. High nickel ternary materials are easy to absorb moisture and become jelly during storage and use, and are not easy to mix slurry and apply polar chips. Therefore, they have very high requirements on the performance of production equipment.
In addition, the high nickel materials must be in a pure oxygen environment, and lithium hydroxide must be used as a lithium source for high-temperature synthesis. Therefore, the furnace materials used by positive material enterprises must be resistant to oxygen corrosion and alkali corrosion, but few domestic preparation technologies can meet the standards. Even if the equipment meets the standard, the problems of high nickel 811 power battery, including thermal management system and supply system remodeling, need to be solved.
Recently, a news triggered a new topic in the battery industry, saying that Ningde Times is expected to launch a new battery using NCM811 (nickel cobalt manganese ternary lithium) technology next year. If this plan is successfully implemented, it will have an important impact on the pattern of China's and even the global new energy vehicle power battery industry.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
NCM811 battery refers to the nickel cobalt manganese ratio of positive material in ternary lithium battery is 8:1:1, which is also known as high nickel battery. High nickel means higher energy density and lower cobalt content. Because cobalt is expensive and unstable, high nickel 811 battery can not only increase battery life but also significantly reduce cost. At present, the type of ternary lithium battery commonly used in China is 523, and a few enterprises can produce 622 type batteries.
According to the requirements of the Medium and Long term Development Plan of the Automotive Industry issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, by 2020, the specific energy of the new energy steam power battery will reach more than 300Wh/kg, and strive to achieve 350Wh/kg, and the specific energy of the system will reach 260Wh/kg, and the cost will be reduced to less than 1 yuan/Wh. By 2025, new energy vehicles will account for more than 20% of automobile production and sales, and the specific energy of power battery system will reach 350Wh/kg.
The current mainstream NCM523 battery can reach 160-200Wh/kg, while NCM622 and NCM811 can reach 230Wh/kg and 280Wh/kg respectively. Therefore, to meet the requirements of power battery energy density and range in the planning, it is an inevitable trend to vigorously develop NCM811 batteries.
Cost pressure caused by cobalt price rise is "catalyst"
The rise in the price of upstream raw materials puts great pressure on battery manufacturers, while the rise in the price of cobalt as the cathode raw material brings the greatest cost pressure. In order to relieve the cost pressure, the domestic mainstream battery enterprises basically choose to reduce the use proportion of cobalt through the innovation of ternary cathode materials.
According to the public information, BYD, Ningde Times, Guoxuan Hi Tech, Shanshan Energy, etc. have been deployed in the field of high nickel 811 batteries. By increasing the proportion of nickel, increasing the energy density of the battery, and reducing the use of cobalt, it has resisted the cost pressure brought by the rising price of ternary materials in terms of cost.
BYD has previously said that it is expected to start using ternary high nickel 811 batteries in the second half of 2019. At the beginning of this year, Guoxuan High Tech said that it had developed Sanyuan 811 material soft package electric core, and the energy density could reach 302wh/kg, and it is expected to produce and supply in small batches in 2019.
It will take time for Chinese enterprises with high nickel batteries to have a low say in commercialization
Although the 811 ternary system material is sought after by the industry, its commercialization due to its technical shortcomings is also a real problem.
In terms of technology, nickel element is unstable. In the production process of high nickel battery, it is easy to suffer from adverse reactions such as weakened cycle performance, reduced safety performance, and reduced charging efficiency. However, it is more difficult in storage and production process. High nickel ternary materials are easy to absorb moisture and become jelly during storage and use, and are not easy to mix slurry and apply polar chips. Therefore, they have very high requirements on the performance of production equipment.
In addition, the high nickel materials must be in a pure oxygen environment, and lithium hydroxide must be used as a lithium source for high-temperature synthesis. Therefore, the furnace materials used by positive material enterprises must be resistant to oxygen corrosion and alkali corrosion, but few domestic preparation technologies can meet the standards. Even if the equipment meets the standard, the problems of high nickel 811 power battery, including thermal management system and supply system remodeling, need to be solved.
