Leapmotor and others to launch extended-range vehicles with 80 kWh battery capacity, CATL revives high-nickel batteries | Exclusive from 36Kr

The high-nickel square battery, which has been dormant for many years, may return to the mainstream market again.

36Kr Auto has learned from multiple industry insiders that CATL will launch a new 8-series high-nickel battery next year, which will be installed in the extended-range models of leading new energy vehicle startups.

The 8-series high-nickel battery is a type of ternary lithium battery. In this type of battery, the ratio of nickel, cobalt, and manganese in the cathode material is approximately 8:1:1, so it is named the 8-series high-nickel battery.

The 8-series high-nickel battery once had a relatively glorious history.

A few years ago, the 8-series high-nickel battery was installed in dozens of models of more than a dozen new energy brands such as Aion, NIO, and XPeng. However, at that time, the technology related to the 8-series high-nickel battery had just emerged, and various aspects of verification were not sufficient. The development of the industry's thermal management technology was also immature, resulting in frequent cases of thermal runaway of the 8-series high-nickel battery.

For a while, the industry was terrified of the 8-series high-nickel battery.

However, CATL publicly stated that the company would not abandon the research and development of the 8-series high-nickel battery and believed that giving up the 8-series high-nickel battery meant giving up the high-end market.

The current trend of larger and larger batteries in plug-in hybrid vehicles, including extended-range vehicles, has provided an opportunity for the 8-series high-nickel battery to return to the market.

This year, the battery capacity of some extended-range models has exceeded 60 kWh. Next year, according to 36Kr Auto, the battery capacity of plug-in hybrid vehicles, including extended-range vehicles, will reach about 80 kWh.

36Kr Auto has preliminarily sorted out that there are already more than 4 large-battery plug-in hybrid and large-battery extended-range vehicles with a battery capacity of about 80 kWh. Star models such as the upcoming D series of Leapmotor and Xiaomi's extended-range vehicle next year are expected to reach or approach a battery capacity of 80 kWh.

Although not all vehicles use CATL's 8-series high-nickel battery, the intensifying competition in battery capacity and pure-electric range among plug-in hybrid models undoubtedly allows the battery giant to see the application of high-nickel technology.

Under the same conditions, compared with lithium iron phosphate batteries, the 8-series high-nickel battery has a higher energy density per unit mass and stronger performance. Therefore, vehicles equipped with the 8-series high-nickel battery can achieve high range with a battery pack of lower capacity, thereby reducing the overall vehicle mass while taking into account the power performance.

Some sources have revealed to 36Kr that the preliminary evaluation shows that the 8-series high-nickel solution can only slightly improve the system energy density compared with the medium-nickel solution. However, for the already limited vehicle chassis, it is still necessary to give it a try.

The Batteries of Extended-Range and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles Are Getting Larger

In recent years, with the call for more and more pure-electric range, there has been a distinct trend in the plug-in hybrid and extended-range vehicle segments: the battery packs on vehicles are getting larger and larger.

This year, the batteries on some extended-range vehicles have exceeded 60 kWh.

For example, the recently launched IM LS6 extended-range version is equipped with CATL's Super Long Range MAX battery, with a battery pack capacity of 66 kWh and a CLTC pure-electric range of over 450 km, which is higher than the range of some pure-electric vehicles.

Another example is the extended-range Xinghui Executive Edition of the Zunjie S800, which is equipped with CATL's 65-kWh Kirin battery and has a CLTC pure-electric range of 400 km.

Among the dozens of extended-range models currently on the market, nearly half of the products have a pure-electric range of over 200 km.

Next year, the battery packs on extended-range and plug-in hybrid vehicles will continue to increase in size.

After sorting out, 36Kr Auto has found that there are already multiple contenders for next year's large-battery extended-range and large-battery plug-in hybrid models.

A representative example is Leapmotor. Its D platform will be equipped with an 80-kWh extended-range solution. The known models are an SUV named D19 and an MPV, with a possible pure-electric range of 50 km.

The extended-range model to be launched by Xiaomi Auto will also be equipped with a large battery pack with a capacity close to 80 kWh.

Great Wall Motor will also launch a plug-in hybrid model with an 80-kWh battery pack next year. Previously, Great Wall publicly stated that the new vehicle's pure-electric range will exceed 400 km.

To achieve a pure-electric range of about 500 km with lithium iron phosphate batteries, automakers can only stack more battery packs. As a result, the overall vehicle mass will inevitably be affected, and the handling flexibility of the vehicle will be compromised. It is understood that the overall vehicle mass of some extended-range and plug-in hybrid models may exceed 3 tons next year.

In addition to the vehicle weight, stacking too many battery packs on the vehicle may also affect the collision results and the overall vehicle safety.

Therefore, increasing the battery capacity is not the choice of all automakers. To control the vehicle weight and ensure comprehensive indicators such as collision safety while meeting the pure-electric range requirements, high-nickel batteries have become the choice of some automakers.

The Opportunities and Risks of the 8-series High-Nickel Battery

Of course, the 8-series high-nickel battery also has its shortcomings to overcome.

After the nickel content in the cathode increases, the thermal stability of the battery will decrease, and the cycle life will be shortened. Therefore, the current mainstream ternary technology route is the 5-series medium-nickel battery or the 6-series medium-nickel battery, where the ratio of nickel, cobalt, and manganese in the battery cathode is approximately 5:2:3 or 6:2:2.

In fact, for many extended-range and plug-in hybrid manufacturers, medium-nickel batteries can already balance range, vehicle weight, collision safety, and performance.

Even so, some automakers still decide to install the 8-series high-nickel battery. The reason behind this may be that in the context of such fierce industry competition, automakers need longer range, better handling, and power performance as product highlights to gain more market share in the extended-range or plug-in hybrid market.

In addition to its significance for product performance, the 8-series high-nickel battery can also serve as a major technological label for automakers' extended-range or plug-in hybrid models, creating an impression on consumers.

CATL has deep roots in the ternary battery segment. However, the market share of ternary batteries is currently being eroded by lithium iron phosphate batteries. In this context, CATL really needs a product to restore the former glory of ternary batteries and gain more industry discourse power.

After many years, it is re-launching the 8-series high-nickel battery. Along with this product, it is very likely that the company will introduce upgraded thermal management technology and high-nickel battery cycle life technology.

The attitude of automakers towards the 8-series high-nickel battery has cast a shadow of uncertainty over this product.

Compared with the currently mainstream 5-series and 6-series medium-nickel batteries, the content of cobalt, which is a more expensive element, in the 8-series high-nickel battery is reduced, so the raw material procurement cost will naturally decrease slightly. However, before achieving economies of scale, the manufacturing and R & D costs are high. Therefore, the battery cost of extended-range or plug-in hybrid vehicles equipped with the 8-series high-nickel battery will not be significantly reduced due to the decrease in battery capacity.

Whether the high-nickel square battery will return to the mainstream market still remains a mystery.

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