China's Top Electric Vehicle Forum 2023: Insights on Battery Industry and User Demands

Hosted by the China Electric Vehicle 100 (CEV100) and co-organized by Tsinghua University, China Society of Automotive Engineers, China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China Automotive Technology and Research Center, and China Automotive Engineering Research Institute, the China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum (2023) opens in Beijing.

The forum invites representatives from government departments, as well as automotive, energy, transportation, urban, and communication industries and institutions to engage in in-depth discussions on a variety of topics, such as global automotive industry development trends, high-quality development paths for new-energy vehicles, China’s intelligent connected vehicle development strategy, core supply chain development trends for power batteries, new-generation automotive consumption transformation trends, synergistic development strategies for automotive and energy industries, novel transportation energy security systems, commercial vehicle transformation directions, innovative paths for the automotive aftermarket, and automotive digitalization and intelligent manufacturing models.

At the 2023 China Electric Vehicle 100 Forum, Xie Qiu highlighted the following points during his speech:

  1. Changes in battery industry demand: In 2008, battery energy density was 100 watt-hours/kilogram, and now has exceeded 280 watt-hours/kilogram. In 2020, the focus was on increasing battery energy density to meet the demand for passenger vehicles; from 2020-2021, the focus was on safety issues; in 2022, the focus was on supply security; in 2023, the focus will be on stimulating market demand.

  2. User demands are divided into four aspects: safety, cost, user experience (convenience, acceleration, range, etc.) and environmental needs. The key is to reduce costs and improve user experience.

  3. Innovative products in different fields: In the hybrid domain, products cover a range of 50-200 kilometers, with 30-minute fast charging and a heating rate of 6 degrees Celsius/minute; in the medium-voltage pure electric domain, One-Stop technology increases battery energy density to 153 watt-hours/kilogram and achieves a range of 600 kilometers; in the high voltage domain, introduces 800-volt square and cylindrical batteries, with the cylindrical battery adopting a “top-flow” structure, reducing ACR by 27% and DCR by 40%, increasing space utilization by 3%, and reaching an energy density of 300 watt-hours/kilogram with 6C fast-charging.

The following is the original text of the speech:

Good morning, everyone! Dear academicians and colleagues, a very good morning to you all. I am grateful for the invitation to this event, which has given me the opportunity to share my practical exploration and thoughts in the power battery industry over the past 16 years.Our company was established in 2007, focusing on the industry of power batteries and energy storage batteries since inception. We have witnessed the entire development process of the industry, from China’s Ten Cities, Thousand Vehicles pilot in 2009, to the complete withdrawal of subsidies today, and the promotion of new energy vehicles in our country, from 20,000 units in 2012 to an accumulated promotion of over 16 million units.

Beginning in 2015, the year of the 100-Talent Plan establishment, our country has won the global championship title for eight consecutive years. Alongside the rapid market growth, our country’s industrial technology has been continuously upgraded. In 2008, battery energy density reached 100 Wh/kg, and by this year, mass-produced batteries have surpassed 280 Wh/kg. In 2020, the battery industry aimed to increase energy density to meet the needs of passenger vehicles, with ternary batteries supporting 400 km. By 2020, ternary batteries supported 500 km of passenger vehicles, and prior to 2020, the focus was on enhancing energy density for passenger vehicles. From 2020 to 2021, new challenges arose, specifically safety issues, and the industry faced frequent safety problems. To address these, we introduced various technologies to ensure safety. In 2022, the industry focus shifted to securing supply. By 2023, the market experienced a downturn, with the overall automotive market declining in the first quarter, leading to various manufacturers initiating price wars to stimulate demand, and the theme of 2023 is essentially how to stimulate demand.

The focus this year is on stimulating demand, and we have identified four levels of user needs for batteries. First, safety remains the fundamental concern, and despite significant progress, improvements are still needed. Second, cost or price is considered, as it falls within the scope of property security. Third, batteries should provide users with a good experience in terms of convenience, acceleration, and range. Currently, batteries and vehicles are closely integrated as structural components. Fourth, there is a need for self-realization on a moral level, specifically addressing the demand for environmental protection. In summary, the goal is to improve various user experiences such as replenishment and range at a low cost.

How can we achieve these improvements? The essence of manufacturing lies in converting resources into services and user experiences. The essence of a battery is to transform resources into energy storage devices and use them to meet the transportation needs of various users. Enhancing the efficiency of resource-to-experience conversion can reduce costs and improve user experience. For example, as mentioned earlier, the issue of winter range – if we use 50-degree resources that only become 25-degree electric resources in winter, this indicates a decrease in resource-to-experience efficiency. We can boost conversion efficiency through technology. Our technological and product innovations focus on enhancing resource-to-experience conversion efficiency, and we’d like to share our overall product offerings.Firstly, in the hybrid domain, there is a natural advantage. Secondly, due to the supplement of gasoline vehicles, there is a relatively low demand for electrical power. The development of the hybrid market helps the industry reduce the demand for environmental resources and stabilize raw material costs. We have comprehensively deployed products in the hybrid domain, including product layouts from 50 kilometers to 200 kilometers to support the full electrification transformation of traditional automakers. Thirdly, in terms of user experience, although the hybrid system provides good energy storage experience, it also supports 30-minute fast charging, and our battery pack’s peak power output can exceed 400 kilowatts to provide a gasoline vehicle-like acceleration experience. Moreover, the low-temperature heating can reach 6 degrees Celsius per minute, significantly improving the experience of electric vehicles in winter.

In the medium-voltage pure electric domain, we have introduced One-Stop technology in the past two years. This One-Stop technology can significantly increase the space utilization rate of battery cells in the battery pack, allowing for a more resource-friendly material like LiFePO4 and our high-manganese lithium. This extends the range further. As mentioned earlier, ternary batteries achieved 500 kilometers in 2020, while our One-Stop technology can cover 600 kilometers with LiFePO4. Our battery pack energy density can reach 153 Wh/kg, which will be introduced to the market in the second quarter of this year. This energy density is also the highest in the industry. One-Stop technology with high-manganese lithium can push the battery pack’s energy density to 180 Wh/kg, supporting a range exceeding 700 kilometers. As the energy density increases, our battery pack’s height is continuously decreasing (approximately 110 millimeters), reducing the vehicle’s wind resistance area. The current drag coefficient has reached 0.196, which is the lowest among mass-produced vehicles globally. This is our One-Stop layout in the medium-voltage pure electric domain.

In the high-voltage domain, after promoting high-voltage systems, there are higher system efficiencies, allowing for reduced power consumption and resource consumption. High-voltage systems can also reduce charging current, making them more suitable for fast charging. We have deployed two product lines in the 800-volt area, one under 4C, where we believe square batteries can satisfy 4C and under 4C charging scenarios. The square batteries are arranged with lamination technology. Based on our field tests, under 4C charging conditions and no cooling system, the battery cells’ surface temperature is recorded.In scenarios with higher charging rates, we adopt the cylindrical technology approach, which has been prevalent in the industry since Tesla’s introduction in 2020, including Tesla’s tabless electrode technology. Our approach involves a groundbreaking innovation in structure, culminating in the “Top-Flow” structure. Though tabless electrode technology addresses some issues in current paths, it still relies on battery casing, which is both lengthy and made of steel – a less than ideal conductor. Our innovative design reduces the current passage by 70% in comparison to tabless electrode batteries.

According to our tests on battery cells, ACR has decreased by 27% and DCR by 40% compared to tabless electrode batteries, while space utilization has increased by 3%. With these features, our technology is well-suited for fast charging applications. With our system technology, our large cylindrical cells can achieve a fast charge rate of 6C while maintaining an energy density of 300 Wh/kg. Apart from enhanced battery performance, our structure significantly improves manufacturing efficiency, reducing the number of required cells on the production line by about 70% compared to tabless electrode technology in a 6C scenario.

We will continue to practice our philosophy of maximizing efficiency and offering increasingly competitive products to the industry. We hope to work together with partners in all sectors to contribute to the development of the new energy industry. Thank you all!

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.