In recent years, it has been evident that new energy vehicles have received more and more attention. Even when I was walking home from Wangjing, I often heard people discussing what brand of new energy vehicles to choose.
"If you want to buy BYD now!”A guy walking in front of me said to a girl.
Why?The girl asked.
Hearing them talk about new energy vehicles, my "occupational disease" was committed, and I was very curious about how passers-by would answer, so I quickly followed two steps forward.
"Because BYD batteries are all produced by themselves, they look reliable!”The boy replied.
I thought he would say something like "BYD has high sales and leading technology", but the reason of "self-produced batteries" really surprised me. After all, the Great Wall also has its own battery factory "Honeycomb Energy", which may not be well known to the public.
This also shows that BYD is indeed stronger than the Great Wall in terms of communication effect;On the other hand, the point of self-production and self-development of batteries is really valued by many users.
For a long time before,With the exception of BYD and Great Wall, all other car brands will choose to purchase batteries from other car brands without exception. Those who emphasize self-development may first purchase battery cells from the market, and then make customized packs by themselves.
People would rather spend a lot of money to buy battery cells than build a battery cell production line for self-supply, because the short-term investment in building a battery production line is very large, and at the same time, it is also necessary to master the technology of the entire battery production process.
But now, in addition to BYD and Great Wall, there is one more car company that makes battery cells.
Just past the ZEEKR Energy Day,Extreme KryptonOfficially announced——We will promote our own research and production from battery cells to batteries
And the battery that was made, ZEEKR called it"Golden brick battery".
01.Full 800V stepping stone
The name "Golden Brick Battery" comes from an allusion"Real gold is not afraid of fire".to reflect the safety of the battery.
The reason why BYD was able to publicize the "blade battery" back then was because of the "acupuncture test" that the whole industry did not dare to do. For this reason, BYD did not hesitate to tear each other apart with CATL.
So much so that up to now, every time BYD organizes a visit to the blade battery production line, it will take out a blade battery and a ternary lithium battery as a "sacrifice", and both sacrifices are under the steel needle.
As a result, it is inevitable that the ternary lithium battery will burn violently, while the blade battery will be safe and sound. For those who meet for the first time, this contrast can be described as quite shocking.
However, at the release site of the ZEEKR gold brick battery, the speaker's words have a feeling of connotating BYD:"The test is not afraid of piercing, and it is still burning on the road. ”
In order to avoid this problem, ZEEKR has upgraded the acupuncture test and designed it"Overpressure needle prick test".This ** test——
Fully charge the cell first, and then apply 15 times the extrusion pressure will cause more than 30% deformation of the battery cell, and then use a 5mm steel needle to pierce it from the point with the largest deformation.
It simulates the extreme situation in which the battery cell is crushed and then punctured by a foreign object in the event of an accident.
At the press conference, ZEEKR also proudly announced that the BRICS battery is the first battery cell in the world to pass this test, and it can do no, no.
Not only that, ZEEKR also poured gasoline on the surface of the battery pack and ignited it to burn, even if it continues to burn for 4 minutes, it will not trigger **, which is almost twice the national standard.
This is not enough, ZEEKR also prepares a more extreme "serial test under 6 working conditions" for the battery cell
The same gold brick battery was first soaked in salt water, then burned with 1000 fire, then -45 frozen, dragged 3 kilometers on a bad road, then rolled over by a 22-ton roller, and then dropped at a height of 10 meters.
What is this called testing?It's clearly abuse!If the engineers of Extreme Krypton were to be placed in ancient times, it should not be a problem to enter the Criminal Department. And ZEEKR itself said that this is a gold brick battery"Journey to Hell".
However, even if hell "goes around", the gold brick battery can still do no, no.
As for why the gold brick battery is so carried?
First of all, the BRICS battery is adoptedLithium iron phosphateThe cathode material, compared with the ternary lithium battery with higher energy, is not easy to spontaneous combustion.
Secondly, ZEEKR puts the gold brick battery cellsThe shape is made into a "blade-like".The heat dissipation performance is better than that of square cells, and a layer is plated on the surface of the cellsGold high-voltage resistant insulating filmCompared with the "blue film" of traditional battery cells, the insulation performance can be improved by 27%, and it can withstand 4000V DC high voltage.
Although the safety of gold brick batteries is particularly prominent, if you just talk about safety, it is a bit one-sided, and "bricks" are not much safer than batteries
Moreover, the electric vehicle market is now so volatileIf you want to be recognized by the market, battery performance is the most critical.
As mentioned earlier, the gold brick battery uses lithium iron phosphate, and its energy density and charging performance are shortcoming compared with ternary lithium batteries.
However, since the beginning of this year, there has been a new breakthrough in lithium iron phosphate battery technology, and in August this year, CATL released a "Shenxing" super-rechargeable battery based on lithium iron phosphate, which can already adapt to the current industry fire technology 800V, which can achieve 4C charging.
And the same is true for gold brick batteriesSuitable for 800V high-voltage platformlithium iron phosphate battery, while the charging speed goes even further45C charging, 15 minutes of charging range +500km. At the same time, the pulse discharge rate of 3 seconds can reach up to 16C, and it supports 3 seconds of 000 acceleration.
If the data is true, it is indeed as stated at the press conference, ZEEKR has created the fastest charging lithium iron phosphate battery so far.
The reason why the performance of lithium iron phosphate batteries can be raised to such a high level is that the ZEEKR team has put a lot of effort into the research and development of battery cell materials.
In terms of cathode, ZEEKR grinds lithium iron phosphate particles more delicately to the nanometer level, and with the self-developed conductive agent, the battery cathode activity becomes stronger, and lithium ions are easier to "run out" from the cathode.
On the electrolyte side, a three-layer composite porous structure is added between the positive and negative electrodes, which is equivalent to creating an ion exchange "highway", allowing lithium ions to flow faster in the electrolyte.
On the negative electrode side, ZEEKR optimizes the SEI membrane to reduce the interface impedance, so that the negative electrode can "catch" the lithium ions more smoothly.
In addition to fast charging, range is also crucial.
The gold brick battery will be the first to be installed on the latest model of ZEEKR 007According to the earlier declaration information of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology,The ZEEKR 007 lithium iron phosphate battery version has a CLTC range of 688km for the single-motor rear-wheel drive version.
The pure electric medium-sized sedan at the same level as ZEEKR 007 is generally around 600km with lithium iron phosphate battery, while ZEEKR 007 can reach a range of nearly 700km, which shows that the energy density of the whole package of the gold brick battery is quite high.
This is precisely the point that makes the ZEEKR team quite proudThe volume utilization rate of the BRICS battery pack reached 837%，It has achieved the highest level in the world.
The reason why this can be done is due to self-production and self-development, so that the ZEEKR team can make drastic redesigns of the battery pack.
Including the use of two rows of short blade cell arrangement, directly eliminating the need for modules to form the CTP battery pack, and greatly reducing the thickness of the top cover plate of the battery pack and the barrier material between the cells, the thermal management liquid cooling tray design into an integrated design, reducing the wiring harness and plug-in parts, etc.
In addition to ZEEKR 007, the gold brick battery will also be installed on other newer models of ZEEKR in the futureFor ZEEKR, the arrival of the BRICS battery also means that ZEEKR has begun to move towards the full 800V era.
02."Foundation" finally came in handy!
The core purpose of car companies such as NIO, Xpeng, and Tesla that choose to build their own energy supplement systems is to adapt to their own cars and create a better service experience for users.
As of November this year, ZEEKR has built a total of 401 ZEEKR charging stations across the country, ranking third in terms of the number of self-built charging stations of car companies.
However, it seems that there is some embarrassment that the pole charging pile of Extreme Krypton and its own car are not very compatible at present.
The maximum power of the extreme charge V1 launched by ZEEKR in 2021 can reach 360kW, while the liquid-cooled supercharging pile "Extreme Charge V2" launched by ZEEKR last year can reach a maximum power of 600kW.
Let's take a look at a few cars currently on sale at ZEEKRExcept for ZEEKR 001FR and X, the maximum charging power of these three cars is at most 150KW, which is completely unable to play the level of ZEEKR charging pile.
At the end of the day, these cars are built on a 400V architecture, while the piles are 800V.
In addition, ZEEKR's extreme charging station is open to all brandsThis makes other brands support 800V cars to charge at the Extreme Charging Station, which is more fragrant than ZEEKR's own carsThe commune's Xpeng G6 and AVATR 11 are frequent visitors to the ZEEKR charging station.
ZEEKR's extreme charging station has been in a state of loss since its inception of operation. An Conghui said in an exclusive interview after the press conference.
However, An Conghui does not think that ZEEKR is doing public welfare by engaging in pole charging stations, and they expect that by 2025, the charging business will begin to become profitable.
If charging wants to be profitable, it is necessary to let more users use it and improve the resource utilization.
At this time, the significance of the existence of the gold brick battery is extraordinaryIt can make Extreme Krypton goThe whole system is 800V era, their own car and pile will be more fully adapted, thusAttract more users to buy ZEEKRand, in turnRevitalize the "foundation" laid by ZEEKR for so many years to lay energy replenishment facilities.
In other words, from the day ZEEKR made up its mind to build its own pole charging station, it has been paving the way for the arrival of the 800V era.
However, ZEEKR's investment in charging does not intend to stop there.
In terms of charging power, ZEEKR will gradually lay the latest in the futureExtreme Charge v3, itsThe maximum power can reach 800kwIt is the most fierce pile at present, and 800V cars may not be able to hold it, which may be prepared for 1200V cars.
In terms of the number of pole charging stations, according to the latest planning of ZEEKRBy 2024, the number of pole charging stations will be expanded to 1,000That's more than twice as much as it is now.
By 2026, the total number of pole-filled piles will exceed 10,000, achieving "thousands of piles".
In terms of the location of extreme charging stations, there will be more planning considerations in the future, and the best stations will be built according to user density.
Eventually, ZEEKR hopes to make it happen"1515 Convenience Electricity".That is, the user can charge it in 15 minutes, and the charging only takes 15 minutes.
If it can really be realized, it means that the convenience of charging and replenishing energy will be infinitely close to or even surpass refueling.
03.Spend tens of billions of dollars, leaving no way out
The topic goes back to what I talked about at the beginning, why would ZEEKR choose to develop and produce its own battery cells?
In fact, according to An Conghui, as early as around 2009, Geely's laboratory has begun to do battery research and development, and has always had a number of technical routes in reserve, and developed a variety of samples.
It wasn't until 2 years ago that ZEEKR made up its mind to invest in the construction of a BRICS battery factoryFrom the establishment of the project to the completion of this battery factory, nearly 10 billion yuan has been invested.
As for the reason for the heavy investment in self-produced battery cells, in addition to the fact that it is easier to land in the research and development of new battery technologies, and to be able to take more destiny into their own handsCostIt is also a point that cannot be ignored.
During a visit to Quzhou ZEEKR battery factory, the engineer revealed that the self-produced gold brick battery cells are compared with the ternary lithium batteries with the same performance purchased on the marketEach kilowatt-hour of electricity can be reduced by 148% of the cost. As the most expensive component of new energy vehicles, the power battery has reduced the cost of this is not small.
For ZEEKR, the most important thing in the near future isHit the U.S. stock IPOOf course, the most important thing for investors is the profitability of an enterprise.
According to the prospectus submitted by ZEEKR, its net profit from 2021 to 2023 will be 10.4 billion yuan, -451.4 billion and -765.5 billion yuan, the more cars are sold, the more they lose, it is indeed a problem that must be faced, although the loss is smaller than that of NIO and Xiaopeng in the same period, although a lot of expenses are invested in research and development.
Of course, in addition to helping to control costs, self-produced battery cells can also show ZEEKR's determination to fight a long-term battle, which is a good story for its own follow-up publicity and investors' expectations.
But the price is also quite large, when a wave of tens of billions of dollars is smashed, there is no way back, and then it depends on whether the "Golden Brick" empowered Extreme Krypton 007 can be a hit.