The tide was flat on both sides and the wind was in full sail. On June 9, the 2023 World Power Battery Conference with the theme of "Green new Power · World new kinetic energy" opened in Yibin City, Sichuan Province, "the first city of the Yangtze River." The conference was hosted by the Sichuan Provincial People's Government and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Huang Qiang, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of Sichuan Province attended the opening ceremony, and Zheng Bei, Vice governor of Sichuan Provincial People's Government presided over the opening ceremony.

 

At the opening ceremony and theme forum on June 9, the relevant leaders and guests in their speeches and speeches, in view of the many challenges brought by the transformation of the automobile industry to the power battery, sorted out the status quo, interpreted the hot spots, proposed countermeasures, studied and judged the trend, and made suggestions for promoting the high-quality development of the power battery industry.

 

■ Wan Gang: Increase research and development of next-generation power battery technology

 

Wan Gang, chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, pointed out in his opening speech that the global new energy vehicle industry will enter a new stage of rapid development, and at present, China's new energy vehicles have entered a new stage of comprehensive market-oriented development, and are becoming a new driving force for China's economic growth and a crucial growth pole for the global economy.

 

He made five suggestions for doing so:

 

The first is to increase the research and development of next-generation power battery technology. It is necessary to scientifically judge the next-generation power battery technology route, attach importance to the basic research and technology research and development of new materials and new system batteries represented by all-solid-state batteries, systematically solve engineering and technical problems such as new system batteries of key materials and system integration, promote industrial application and demonstration operation, and carry out market and technology evaluation to provide leading experience for large-scale industrialization.

 

The second is to promote the high-quality development of the whole industry chain of power batteries. It is necessary to speed up the development of upstream mineral resources, establish a guarantee system for key raw material resources, achieve stable prices and supply of key raw materials, and strengthen the overall coordination of the industrial chain and industry supervision. Adhere to the supply-side structural reform as the main line, and build the whole industrial chain symbiosis and win-win ecosystem.

 

Third, we need to speed up the formulation of safety-related standards and regulations. It is necessary to continuously improve the requirements of thermal diffusion and thermal management technology, accelerate the revision and formulation of relevant standards, and strengthen and improve the regular maintenance and annual inspection system of power batteries for in-use vehicles, and scientifically evaluate the health status of batteries through big data monitoring and early warning to eliminate risks and hidden dangers.

 

The fourth is to promote the green recycling and comprehensive utilization of retired batteries, establish a standardized and orderly recycling and comprehensive utilization of the market ecology, strengthen environmental protection, cost control, echelon utilization, raw material security, and promote the sustainable development of the industry. It is necessary to strengthen the construction of the supervision and management system for recycling, actively explore innovative business models, and realize the market-oriented development of power battery recycling.

 

Fifth, adhere to a high level of open cooperation in power batteries. It is necessary to further gather international consensus on the development of the industry and strengthen global coordination and international layout. It is necessary to strengthen the docking of international policy systems and the coordination of standards and regulations, jointly explore the construction of low-carbon standards and management systems for power batteries, and promote the mutual recognition and sharing of carbon emission accounting methods and basic data. It is necessary to strengthen the technological innovation of next-generation power batteries, global cooperation in intelligent manufacturing and recycling, and jointly promote the sustainable development of the power battery industry chain.

 

■ Miao Wei: Without subsidies, the battery cost will drop to $100 / KWH for electric cars to compete with fuel vehicles

 

Miao Wei, deputy director of the Committee of Economy of the CPPCC National Committee and former minister of Industry and Information Technology, said in his opening speech that the price of lithium carbonate has fallen sharply this year, with a high probability that it will stabilize at about 150,000 to 200,000 yuan per ton.

 

For further enhancing the global competitiveness of China's power battery enterprises, Miao Wei put forward three suggestions.

 

First, improve competitiveness by reducing costs and increasing efficiency. Industry experts generally expect that the power battery cost of $100 per kilowatt-hour is the critical point of the cost struggle between electric vehicles and fuel vehicles, and only in the case of non-government subsidies, the power battery cost is reduced to $100 per kilowatt-hour, electric vehicles can truly compete with fuel vehicles.

 

Second, adhere to innovation-driven, do a good job of the next generation of battery technology reserves. In terms of system structure innovation, CTP, CTC, CTB and other structural innovation technologies are used to achieve better battery and vehicle integration. In terms of material system innovation, solid-state batteries have the advantages of high safety and high energy density, and have become the focus of competition in the next generation of battery technology. At the same time, we should also pay attention to the research and development and industrial application of new material system batteries such as high energy density lithium iron phosphate batteries, iron manganese phosphate positive materials, high nickel positive electrodes, negative lithium manganese positive electrodes, carbon silicon negative electrodes.

 

Third, strengthen the work of battery upstream materials to ensure the supply of stable prices. China's lithium reserves rank sixth in the world, but our salt lake lithium has great development potential, especially the process of extracting lithium carbonate from salt lake brine has great potential. We should integrate resources, increase the research and development of process technology and industrialization process, and form production capacity as soon as possible. It is also necessary to implement the extended producer responsibility system and strengthen the recycling and echelon utilization of automobile power batteries, which is not only the requirements of environmental protection, but also the measures to ensure the supply of resources, but also the advantage of our country.

 

Fourth, promote the green and low-carbon development of power batteries. There are also three suggestions in this regard:

 

One is to promote the standardization of power battery specifications and sizes. Overall, the size of the battery is still too much, and the applicability is not strong. In the future, the industry will organize power battery companies, revise specifications and size standards, and reduce specifications for standardized production, which is a very important and urgent work to improve competitiveness in the future. If we get this right, we can also achieve global leadership in standards in the future.

 

The second is to carry out top-level planning for the battery recycling system, led by the power battery company, from the front-end design of the battery to take into account the back-end recycling, from the design source of the product to take into account the battery pack is easy to disassemble and recycle, and provide operational guidance to the back-end recycling enterprises to ensure efficient recycling. This is also a very effective measure for us to develop "urban mines" and solve the problem of resource supply.

 

Third, accelerate the construction of power battery carbon footprint standard system. This has important implications. On the one hand, domestic battery companies are facing realistic needs to go out, and the European Union has introduced battery regulations, which clearly require that if the carbon footprint of the battery after 2027 cannot meet the requirements of the pre-value, new energy vehicles can not be sold within the EU. On the other hand, China, as a global power battery power, to achieve the low-carbon development of batteries, break the doubts about whether new energy vehicles are green, and lead the transformation of the global power battery industry is an unshirked responsibility, and it is also the only way to consolidate our industrial competitive advantage.

 

■ Xin Guobin: Deepen investment and technical cooperation with multinational enterprises in automotive chips, basic software and other fields

 

Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, said in his speech that it is necessary to adhere to the principle of openness and win-win cooperation, work with relevant parties to jointly promote power battery technology innovation, jointly improve the stability of the industrial chain and supply chain and the level of green development, so that scientific and technological innovation achievements can better benefit the people of all countries.

 

He identified four priorities.

 

First, support industrial collaborative innovation, give play to the role of leading enterprises and various innovation platforms, support upstream and downstream joint innovation research, system layout, resource mining and refining, new material systems, battery system management and other technology research and development, accelerate breakthroughs in next-generation battery research, and simultaneously improve the level of large-scale intelligent flexible manufacturing and testing and verification capabilities. Continuously improve the technical level and quality performance of products.

 

The second is to optimize industry management policies, strengthen the overall layout of industrial development, guide social capital rational investment, and avoid blind expansion and disorderly development. Further improve the technical standards, improve the thermal diffusion safety technical requirements of power batteries, strengthen product consistency supervision and management, strengthen product safety, research and prepare the power change technical standard system, and promote the unification of the size of the power change battery, charging and power change interface, communication protocol and other standards.

 

The third is to enhance the level of green development, implement the goal of carbon to peak carbon neutrality, cooperate to promote energy supply, material supply, production and manufacturing, recycling and dismantling, low-carbon, accelerate the introduction of new energy vehicle power battery recycling and utilization management measures, formulate a number of power battery recycling and utilization standards, standardize support for decommissioned batteries oily dismantling and other technical research applications, strengthen special inspection and strict supervision, Build an ecological system for green and circular development.

 

Fourth, deepen international exchanges and cooperation, further optimize the market-oriented, legalized and international business environment, deepen investment and technical cooperation with multinational enterprises in automotive chips, basic software and other fields, guide industry institutions to establish international development and innovation alliances for automotive enterprises, and strengthen cooperation with relevant countries and regions for low-carbon development of the whole industrial chain. Promote the formation of mutually recognized carbon footprint accounting systems for carbon emissions.

 

■ Qiu Xiandong: Endeavour transformation stops new investment in traditional fuel vehicle technology and production capacity

 

In his speech, Qiu Xiandong, general manager of China First Automobile Group Co., Ltd. introduced that from this year, China FAW firmly promotes the new energy strategy, the full range of the whole system to forge ahead with the transformation of new energy vehicles, resolutely achieve "two all, one stop", that is, the future technological innovation investment is all used for new energy intelligent vehicles, and the new production capacity is all used for new energy vehicles; Stop the new investment in traditional fuel vehicle technology and production capacity, and strive to achieve results in one year, lead in three years, and lead in five years. In 2025, the production and sales volume of new energy vehicles will exceed 1.45 million, of which independent brands will account for more than 50%.

 

■ Ouyang Minggao: Build a large battery model to realize the intelligent life cycle of the power battery

 

Ouyang Minggao, member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in his speech at the main forum that the current power battery industry is facing challenges such as slowing growth and accelerating product iteration, and an important means and tool to solve these problems is full life cycle intelligence.

 

He said that the current era of artificial intelligence has arrived and has entered the era of large models. Power batteries can also learn from this concept to build a large battery model.

 

For example, he said that in the battery intelligent equipment link, intelligent perception can introduce multidimensional sensors, especially potential sensors. Based on these sensors, artificial intelligence and mechanism can be integrated to develop an internal state perception algorithm to evaluate and predict the internal state.

 

■ Zeng Yuqun: Power batteries are becoming the "backbone" of the world's new and old kinetic energy conversion and the recovery of automobile consumption

 

Zeng Yuqun, chairman of Ningde Times New Energy Technology Co., LTD., said that the power battery industry has entered a new stage from "no" to "good". The power battery, which carries the important mission of the dual-carbon strategy, is becoming the "pillar" of the world's new and old kinetic energy conversion and the recovery of automobile consumption.

 

Zeng Yuqun said that in the next 5 to 10 years, the global carbon reduction and emission reduction will enter a critical period and a window period, and higher requirements will be put forward for the delivery efficiency and delivery quality of the power battery industry. And pointed out that in the first half of the battery industry, we have been able to meet the market demand, in the second half of the battery industry, how to lead the market demand, from "have" to "good"?

 

He believes that this can be achieved from three aspects: First, scientific and technological innovation is a powerful driving force for high-quality development. Secondly, green development is the base color and strong foundation for high-quality development. Third, scientific and technological equality is the ultimate goal of high-quality development. The future prospects of the power battery industry are full of imagination, and the industry needs to work together to promote the high-quality development of the industry with the original intention of scientific and technological innovation and scientific and technological equality.

 

At the conference, the Ministry of Transport organized 13 provinces (municipalities) along the Yangtze River to put forward the "Electrified Yangtze River" Initiative; Released the Consensus of "Global Integration Development" of power battery industry; Launched the "2023 Power Battery Industry Development (Yibin) Index"; Released the "China New Energy Vehicle power Battery Industry High-quality Development Report"; Held the "China Power Battery Capital · Yibin" award ceremony, as well as industry promotion and signing ceremony.

 

In recent years, Yibin has insisted on exhibition agglomeration to drive industrial agglomeration, and with the help of the World Battery Conference, 48 power battery and new energy vehicle supporting projects with a total investment of 96.2 billion yuan have been signed, and 16 have been completed and put into operation. The city's power battery industry has shown a good momentum of vigorous development, and the output value is expected to exceed 120 billion yuan this year, providing important support for Sichuan province to build a trillion-level power battery industrial cluster. In the future, Yibin City will accelerate the construction of China's power battery capital and build a first-class power battery industrial cluster.

 

According to reports, compared with previous sessions, this year's conference has improved in terms of international elements, content forms, activity innovation, demonstration applications, and for the first time, the special guest of honor, by the world's leading power battery producer Hungary.

 

During the conference from June 8 to 11, focusing on hot topics such as open and sharing, green and low-carbon, innovation-driven, and industrial system, the conference will also hold a number of theme forums and featured discussion activities, as well as the power battery low-carbon travel exhibition, new energy vehicle model application pilot city achievements exhibition and other exhibitions.

 

Originally published by China Automotive News on June 12, 2023