The world's first cobalt-free battery mass production and loading , SVOLT leads the battery industry into the cobalt-free era
On August 29, the 24th Chengdu International Automobile Exhibition opened. Honeycomb Energy held a press conference at the exhibition, announcing that the world's first cobalt-free battery pack developed by it was officially equipped with Great Wall Euler's first SUV model, the Cherry Cat, to achieve mass production and loading, which aroused strong attention from the industry. The power battery industry has thus entered a cobalt-free era.
Pragmatic R&D to break through the resource-stuck problem
At the press conference, Hongxin Yang, Chairman and CEO of Honeycomb Energy, shared the company's original intention, main history, product performance characteristics and future plans of the company's cobalt-free battery research and development to the participants.
Yang Hongxin said that the cobalt-free power battery has always been a topic of concern in the lithium battery industry. It is well known in the industry that cobalt is a scarce and non-renewable resource, and the world's proven reserves are only about 7.1 million tons. With the rapid global development of the new energy automobile industry, some institutions predict that cobalt resources will be in short supply after 2026. In recent years, the price of cobalt has risen many times, and the rising costs have seriously affected the development of the industry. As the world’s largest consumer market for new energy vehicles and the largest consumer of cobalt products, China’s proven cobalt reserves are only 80,000 tons, accounting for 1.14% of the world’s total reserves, which means that we must vigorously develop the new energy industry If there is no effective solution to cobalt resources, one can only rely on imports. This is also the biggest resource "stuck neck" problem facing my country's lithium battery industry.
In fact, in order to solve the problem of unsustainable cobalt resources, scientists around the world have been exploring the decobaltization of lithium batteries for more than 20 years. As an all-round innovative energy high-tech enterprise, Honeycomb Energy has invested more than 500 million yuan in research and development funds, more than 1,200 R&D personnel, 120 materials and battery experts, which lasted several years of in-depth research and development, and finally solved this world-class problem. , Master the core technology of cobalt-free batteries.
In terms of basic research and development of cobalt-free cathode materials, Honeycomb Energy has developed the world's first cobalt-free cathode material after more than 200 pilot tests and more than 3,000 electrical performance verifications, and successfully obtained 69 Chinese patents and 46 international patents.
Based on the characteristics of cobalt-free materials, Honeycomb Energy has carried out a comprehensive system optimization design, adopted advanced high-speed lamination manufacturing technology, and developed the world’s first truly cobalt-free green battery in accordance with automotive-grade AI intelligent manufacturing standards. It has passed a series of safety tests such as a 150 degrees Celsius hot box and 140% SOC overcharge, and has also obtained many authoritative certifications such as EC62660-3/GB T31486-2015/GB 38031-2020/UL2580.
Mass production and loading, the power battery industry enters the era of cobalt-free
According to reports, the total power of the cobalt-free battery packs loaded in this mass production is 82.5KWh, and the system energy density is 170Wh/kg. It uses standard platform MEB modules, applies aviation-grade thermal insulation materials and lightweight design, and has undergone comprehensive performance. Tests and stringent component safety tests, thermal runaway and other test data far exceed the requirements of national standards. Mounted on the compact SUV Cherry Cat, it has a cruising range of more than 600 kilometers under normal temperature conditions; strong performance, which can accelerate the entire vehicle to 100 kilometers within 5 seconds; waterproof performance reaches IP67; high energy retention rate under low temperature conditions, The heating speed is fast.
The excellent performance of the cobalt-free battery pack has also been fully experimentally verified. Starting from 2020, it will be equipped with Euler prototype road test. It has passed wading experiments, enhanced road tests, vehicle charging and discharging performance, rapid acceleration, deceleration battery performance, and full A number of vehicle performance tests such as the insulation inspection of vehicle battery packs, with a cumulative test mileage of 800,000 kilometers, and excellent performance in test data.
Regarding the follow-up product planning of cobalt-free batteries, Yang Hongxin said that Honeycomb Energy currently plans four mass-produced products for cobalt-free batteries, namely, cobalt-free H series 115Ah batteries, 155Ah batteries, H Plus series 157Ah batteries, and cobalt-free batteries. E-series 115Ah batteries cover all models with ultra-long mileage. Among them, the cobalt-free H series 115A batteries and 155Ah batteries have an energy density of 240Wh/kg, and the 115Ah products have been the first to achieve mass production and loading.
Experts in the industry said that the mass production and loading of Honeycomb Energy's cobalt-free batteries can be said to be a milestone in the development of the industry. It indicates that Chinese lithium battery companies have made innovative breakthroughs in material basic research and development. With the large-scale mass production of cobalt-free batteries, power batteries The industry will also officially enter the era of cobalt-free.
As a dark horse enterprise in the global power battery industry, Honeycomb Energy has shown an explosive development trend in recent years. In terms of technology research and development, Honeycomb Energy has established R&D centers in Baoding, Wuxi, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Japan, South Korea, and India. Its unique high-speed lamination process, high-safety cobalt-free batteries, long-life solid-state batteries, Auto-standard AI intelligent manufacturing is at the leading level in the world. Currently, the company has applied for more than 2500 patents, including more than 800 invention patents and more than 50 PCT international patents. In terms of global production capacity planning, Honeycomb Energy has invested 2 billion euros to build European factories in Germany, and in the Yangtze River Delta, South China and China. The three major regions in Southwest China are rapidly deployed. In the first half of 2021, production bases and smart factories will be invested in Suining in Sichuan, Huzhou in Zhejiang, Ma'anshan in Anhui, and Lishui in Nanjing. The total global production capacity is expected to exceed 200GWh in 2025.