Lithium batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries who will perform in the future?

On September 4, Keliyuan (600478) (600478.SH) issued an announcement saying that the company’s application for additional issuance of 32 million shares was approved. It will raise 400 million yuan to invest in a nickel-metal hydride battery energy package project for vehicles.

At the same time as the Keliyuan nickel hydrogen battery project was approved, around the recent introduction of a series of new energy car support policies by related departments, all parties in the market have quarrelled over the lithium battery and nickel metal hydride battery, which is the dynamic direction of the new energy vehicle. Lithium battery concept stocks have also interpreted a magnificent rise.

"Lithium has gone all over the world" behind the torch high-tech (600,872) (600,872.SH), Ke Li Yuan and other few nickel-metal hydride battery company, it seems a bit lonely.

"Ni-MH battery is a realistic choice, and lithium-ion battery is the development direction." Junan Securities researcher Liu Jun bluntly stated that the industrialization of lithium-ion batteries will take some time. In the next 3 to 5 years of transition, new energy will also be driven by nickel. Mainly hydrogen batteries.

Lithium defects to be solved

In the most recent period, the concept stocks of lithium batteries have risen and they have become "elevated." However, industry analysts said that the core components of lithium batteries - cathode materials, domestic listed companies involved in very little. The reporter learned that although some domestic cathode materials such as Shanshan (600884) (SH), Shengsheng (300073) (300037.SZ) and other companies produce some cathode materials, they mainly focus on higher cost and poor safety of cobalt acids. In the field of lithium cathode materials, lithium iron phosphate cathode materials that represent the future development direction are rarely covered.

In addition, with the current technology, lithium is also subject to security instability, high prices, and road charging facilities are not perfect and other constraints, coupled with the lack of core technical links, domestic companies are mostly limited to low-end lithium battery, etc. Capacity, in the field of high-end lithium-ion battery packs and other high-energy capacity needs of new energy vehicles layout is very small, large-scale production of lithium-ion battery is still "castle in the air."

Nickel-metal hydride batteries, on the other hand, are used by the market because of their low price, large current, and good safety. According to the statistics, there are currently 2 million Ni-MH hybrid vehicles in the world, and the output of lithium-electric vehicles is extremely small, which is more of a demonstration role.

“Although everyone is optimistic about lithium power, the lack of core technologies and the hidden dangers of security risks determine that lithium batteries will only develop after technological breakthroughs, and it will not become the mainstream of new energy power in the short term.” Deputy Secretary-General Cui Dongshu bluntly.

As for lithium-ion batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries, which are dominated, all parties have different opinions. On June 25, 2009, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the "Regulations on the Management of New Energy Vehicle Manufacturers and Product Access," which will use "hybrid passenger cars, pure electric passenger cars, and pure electric commercial vehicles that use lead-acid batteries, and "Metal hydride nickel-powered hybrid passenger vehicles" are listed as mature products, and many varieties of pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles using lithium batteries are still in the starting and developing stages, and are not included in the mature varieties.

In the recent planning, the Ministry of Science and Technology emphasized that lithium batteries are the driving force of new energy vehicles and that they should be given priority support, and nickel-hydrogen battery vehicles should be included in the energy-saving vehicle sequence.

Nickel-metal hydride batteries

According to statistics, at present, 90% of the global vehicle battery market is controlled by nickel-hydrogen batteries, while Japan holds the most core technologies. Nickel-metal hydride batteries have stable performance, mature technology and industrialization, and will become the key development direction of domestic new energy in the next five years.

Ke Liyuan, China Torch High-tech and unlisted Shenzhou Technology, etc., have begun to focus on the layout of automotive nickel-metal hydride batteries.

The reporter was informed that Ni-MH battery produced by Shenzhou Technology has been applied in the field of large-size passenger cars. China National Torch High-Tech Co., Ltd. has entered the nickel-metal hydride battery industry through its subsidiary, Tong Li-Ling, which is holding 66% of the company's shares. It has now formed an annual output of 20 million ampere-hours. ability.

"The design and manufacture of battery module units adopted after the establishment of Coba Co., Ltd. differs from the production of single cells for most domestic companies, and solves the problem of high defect rates in current power battery energy package manufacturing, and has cleared the technology for industrialization. Obstacles, said Liu Jun, who is familiar with Keliyuan. In August 2009, Keli Yuan's battery energy pack products successfully went offline.

"From the perspective of commercial production, nickel-metal hydride batteries are currently better than lithium batteries." Liu Jun said, but with the maturing of lithium battery technology, the future market space will inevitably be gradually released.

In fact, Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang had said that in the next five to ten years, hybrid vehicles will become the main direction for the transformation and upgrading of traditional energy-saving technologies. Pure electric vehicles, including plug-in vehicles, will become the mainstream of the recent development strategy. Fuel cell vehicles will become the commanding height in the future. This hybrid and pure electric, mainly refers to nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium batteries.

“Our current advantages are in nickel metal hydride batteries, but in the future the new energy vehicles are the dominant power lithium batteries, and we are also in the layout.” Ke Liyuan, director of the Wu Dingjun revealed.

In August 2010, Keli Yuan invested RMB 35 million with Jinchuan Group to establish the “National Engineering Research Center for Advanced Energy Storage Materials”, covering lithium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries and fuel cell materials, and Shenzhou Science and Technology Co., Ltd. Torch Gaoxin also incorporated lithium batteries into its business segment.