The Energy Density of Batteries in Electric Vehicles is Increasing

The energy density of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles is constantly increasing, and the range of 1000 kilometers has arrived ahead of schedule.

According to media reports, last month, sales of electric vehicles in China almost tripled! This number is still on the rise.

When considering electric vehicles, many people surely want to know what the latest energy density of lithium-ion batteries for electric cars has reached and what their cycle life is.

Technology is developing very rapidly and improving continuously. In just two years, the energy density and cycle life of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles have greatly improved. The competition for battery technology is intense and exciting.

Last year, the energy density of ternary lithium batteries had already exceeded 200 Wh/kg, while that of lithium iron phosphate batteries was around 140 Wh/kg.

Since Tesla announced some parameters of its 4680 cylindrical battery, the 4680 battery has been highly praised. The single-cell energy density of the 4680 battery will reach 300 Wh/kg, while its battery pack energy density will be 217 Wh/kg.

Just as the hype around the 4680 began to die down, the world's largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer, CATL, immediately announced the latest release of its third-generation battery-to-pack (CTP) battery system, known as the Kirin battery.

The CTP is a system that uses prism-shaped battery cells, which are combined into battery packs without modules to reduce complexity, weight, space, and cost.

The latest version of CTP, the third generation, will have two versions, LFP and NCM, both of which offer highly competitive energy densities: LFP energy density is greater than or equal to 160 Wh/kg, while NCM energy density is greater than or equal to 250 Wh/kg.

CATL claims that even with the same battery chemistry and pack size, the Kirin battery can provide 13% more power at the battery pack level than the 4680 system. CTP 3.0 is ready for mass production and is expected to be officially launched in April.

Ning Wang's chief scientist, Wu Kai, also hinted that by 2023, we will see mass-produced systems that can achieve a range of 1000 kilometers (621 miles) on a single charge.

This news shocked the foreign media and quickly dominated the headlines of major overseas media outlets.

Speaking of batteries, how can we forget about BYD's blade battery? When the blade battery was first introduced, it also attracted a lot of attention. The chemical composition of the blade battery uses lithium iron phosphate, and its energy density had already reached 140 Wh/kg at that time. According to the latest news, the system energy density of the second-generation blade battery will reach 180 Wh/kg.

Compared to other foreign battery manufacturers, the latest lithium-ion battery energy density released by Ning Wang is slightly better.

This week, American battery manufacturer Microvast announced the launch of two new NMC batteries - 48 Ah and 53.5 Ah NMC soft pack batteries.

The size of these two new soft pack batteries is the same and can be integrated into Microvast's new fourth-generation battery pack. The energy density of MpCO-48Ah is 205 Wh/kg, and it can be charged to 80% in 16 minutes. Microvast said that the battery can be used more than 7,000 times at 25 degrees Celsius.

The energy density of HpCO-53.5Ah is 235 Wh/kg. The rated cycle times of the battery at 25 degrees Celsius exceed 5,000 times, and the charging time is noticeably longer, taking 48 minutes. It can only be charged at 1C, while MpCO-48Ah can be charged at 3C.

Microvast expects to start mass production in 2023.

According to a model analysis previously developed by scientists, when the energy density of the lithium-ion battery pack reaches 310 Wh/kg, the range of medium-sized electric vehicles will exceed 1000 kilometers, and electric vehicles will replace fuel vehicles. This is expected to happen in five years.

The key requirement for pure electric vehicles in the "Action Plan for Promoting the Development of the Automotive Power Battery Industry" issued by the government is that the energy density of the battery pack exceeds 280Wh/kg by 2025, and exceeds 350Wh/kg by 2030.

Based on the latest reported battery pack energy density, the NCM battery energy density of Ning Wang is already very close to the target requirement for the battery pack's energy density in 2025. Therefore, we have great hope to see the range of ordinary small electric cars reach 1000 kilometers next year, so stay tuned.