The charging rate of power batteries is reaching new heights. From the mass production of 3C batteries in 2022 to the launch of 4C and 5C in 2023, the 6C race has now begun. SAIC-GM recently announced that it will jointly launch the 6C ultra-fast charging lithium iron phosphate battery with CATL, which will be put into use next year.

Industry insiders said that driven by market demand and technological progress, ultra-fast charging batteries with higher rates have become the focus of battery companies.

With the continuous breakthroughs in related technologies, the energy density of existing traditional lithium-ion batteries is gradually approaching its theoretical upper limit. In order to further solve the problem of battery life anxiety, supercharging and fast charging technologies have become a new trend in the development of battery technology. Since the beginning of this year, lithium battery industry chain companies such as EVE Energy, Xinwanda, and Honeycomb Energy have launched new ultra-fast charging battery products with their own characteristics to effectively improve energy replenishment efficiency and cover a wider range of charging scenarios.

In July, Honeycomb Energy released two new ultra-charged batteries. One is the short-blade 5C supercharger based on the lithium iron phosphate system; the other is a 6C supercharger based on the ternary system, which can be charged in 5 minutes and has a range of 500-600km.

In June, EVE Energy released a new large cylindrical battery product, the Omnicell all-purpose battery, which has a 6C fast charging capability and can charge electric vehicles in 5 minutes and have a range of 300 kilometers; Shanshan Co., Ltd. announced in April that it has broken through the bottleneck of high-energy density fast charging technology, and the company's consumer fast charging products have achieved batch shipments of 5C products and tons of 6C products. Power fast charging products have achieved large-scale supply of 4C and 5C products, and 6C products have been finalized by customers.

In February, Xinwangda said it had developed a 4C lithium iron phosphate battery with a cell energy density of 235Wh/kg. In addition, Zhongxinhang released a "top-flow" cylindrical battery last year. This battery uses a top-flow structure and "extreme quality" electrolyte technology. The internal resistance of the structure is 50% lower than that of the full-ear structure. The energy density can reach 300Wh/kg, achieving 6C+ fast charging.

Huatai Securities Research Report stated that in the past two years, competition in the new energy vehicle market has intensified. Based on the pursuit of higher performance, a variety of new lithium battery technologies have emerged. In 2024, fast charging will usher in a key year for large-scale volume release.

In the view of industry insiders, high rates have become an inevitable trend in the development of battery technology. If battery companies want to further improve the power performance of their products, they need to further optimize multiple links such as electrolytes, diaphragms, and structural design. "With the increasing demand for fast charging, fast charging technology has become a rigid demand in the market, and batteries with fast charging function have put forward new requirements for negative electrode materials and structural design. Enterprises need to optimize the research and development of material systems and process designs." Wu Hui, director of the China Battery Industry Research Institute, said in an interview with a reporter from China Energy News.

CITIC Securities Research Report pointed out that the penetration rate of batteries with fast charging capabilities is expected to increase further in the future, which will boost the upgrading and growth of related materials.

The promotion of ultra-fast charging technology is a systematic project, which requires close cooperation and joint efforts from power battery companies, charging operators and power grid companies. In order to better adapt to 4C, 5C and even 6C+ batteries, charging piles also need to be upgraded accordingly. However, at present, the number of charging piles that can match ultra-fast charging models has not yet met the demand. In addition, at the market terminal, the specific listing time of some models equipped with ultra-charged batteries still needs to be waited.

"High-rate batteries, high-voltage fast-charging models and supercharging piles can achieve the maximum peak power of charging." A battery industry insider told the reporter of China Energy News, "The current number of high-voltage fast-charging models is relatively small. For charging pile companies, it is difficult to make a profit by investing in the research and development and construction of charging piles that match them. The government can provide certain financial support to charging pile manufacturers to reduce production costs, enhance the enthusiasm of pile companies, and promote the popularization of 6C batteries." Although super-fast charging technology is highly sought after, not all places are suitable for supercharging. The construction and operation costs of supercharging facilities are relatively high, including equipment investment, etc. When building, it is necessary to fully consider factors such as local economic conditions, the number of electric vehicles, and charging needs. In the view of the interviewees, slow charging, fast charging, and supercharging each have their own advantages and applicable scenarios, so they will coexist and develop in the future to form a complementary charging network to meet the needs of different users and different scenarios. For example, in long-term parking places such as residential areas and office areas, slow charging facilities are more suitable; supercharging facilities are more suitable for deployment in places such as highway service areas. "The power system is widely distributed, and customers have various demands for charging speed and scenarios, and the location, scenario, urgency, etc. are varied. Slow charging, fast charging, and super charging will be symbiotic in the future. Commercial vehicle models need super charging, while home users, especially middle-aged and elderly home users, may not have much demand for super charging, so slow charging is more suitable." Cao Guangping, partner of Chefu Consulting, said in an interview with a reporter from China Energy News.

Liu Dawei, president of Huawei's charging network business, also said that it is necessary to build a high-quality charging infrastructure target network with super fast charging as the main focus, so that cars, piles, and networks can develop in a coordinated manner. In inter-city charging scenarios, super charging should be 100% covered in service areas or gas stations such as highways and national roads; megawatt-level super charging coverage should be achieved in special stations for fast turnover such as public transportation, logistics, and mines; in urban public charging scenarios, "wide coverage" should be achieved to create a super charging circle within 1 kilometer; in residential scenarios such as residential areas, intelligent and orderly DC slow charging solutions should be promoted.

Source: China Energy News

Reporter: Yao Meijiao

Published on October 16, 2024

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