News and Information
2023-05-21 00:00:00
As new energy passenger vehicles gradually become the main force in the growth of the new energy vehicle market, the increase in installed capacity of soft pack batteries has also entered the "fast lane". According to data from the Power Battery Application Branch, from January to April this year, the installed capacity of soft pack batteries in new energy vehicles in China reached 1580.87 MWh, a year-on-year increase of 106.09%. Among the installed capacity of soft pack batteries, new energy passenger vehicles account for nearly 90%.
Installed capacity of soft pack batteries from January to April 2019 (unit: MWh）
According to statistics, there were 21 companies that achieved installed capacity of soft pack batteries from January to April this year. Compared with the same period last year, six new faces have emerged in the top 10 camps, namely: Duflo, Jiewei Power, Kanai New Energy, Sandun New Energy, Henan Lithium, and Ningde Times. Among them, the installed capacity of soft pack batteries in the same period of 2018 was 6.72MWh, 2.55MWh, 0.20MWh, and 25.24MWh for Duofuduo, Kanai New Energy, Sandun New Energy, and Mengguli, respectively. This year, the installed capacity increased by 3525.45%, 6233.73%, 48320%, and 83.91% respectively.
It is worth mentioning that since the second half of last year, multiple battery companies have released their soft pack battery production capacity, which has also driven the increase in the installed capacity of soft pack batteries from January to April this year. Jiewei Power, Henan Lithium Power, and Ningde Times all had zero installed capacity of soft pack batteries from January to April last year, but this year they have all entered the top 10 ranks of soft pack machines. Battery China Network believes that with the gradual release of soft pack battery production capacity by various enterprises, there is no doubt that the installed capacity of soft pack batteries will double this year.
New energy passenger car market drives the rise of soft pack batteries
According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in China from January to April reached 368000 and 360000 respectively, an increase of 58.5% and 59.8% year-on-year. Among them, the production and sales of new energy passenger vehicles reached 340000 and 330000 respectively, an increase of 65.1% and 66.4% year-on-year; The production and sales of new energy commercial vehicles reached 28000 and 30000 respectively, an increase of 5.7% and 11.4% year-on-year. New energy passenger vehicles have become the absolute mainstay of the development of the new energy vehicle industry.
On the other hand, this year's financial subsidy policy for new energy vehicles was introduced at the end of March, with a subsidy reduction rate of over 60% for new energy commercial vehicles, which is greater than that for new energy passenger vehicles. Moreover, the subsidy fund disbursement cycle is relatively long, making it difficult to collect payments.
Given the above reasons, many power battery companies have begun to adjust their product strategies, with a focus on the new energy passenger vehicle market.
For passenger cars, it is aimed at end consumers. The range, safety, and service life of vehicles have become important indicators. Due to its specific packaging materials and structure, soft pack batteries have certain advantages in energy density, safety, flexible design, and cycle times compared to other shaped batteries. They can better meet the needs of passenger cars for long range, high safety, and more flexible vehicle design. Industry insiders have analyzed to Battery China website that, based on the existing lithium battery material system, adopting a soft pack structure design is also an easy packaging structure to increase the energy density of battery cells to 300Wh/kg. And the energy density of soft pack battery cells is relatively higher compared to square and cylindrical cells.
Since the beginning of this year, most of the newly invested battery projects have been in soft pack production lines
However, it is worth noting that in terms of the total installed capacity from January to April, soft pack batteries accounted for 8.92%, slightly lower than 9.51% in the same period last year. Battery China Network believes that this is mainly due to the rapid increase in installed capacity of power batteries in China since the beginning of this year, while the production capacity of soft pack batteries has not yet been released. With the rise of the new energy passenger vehicle market, especially the rapid rise of medium passenger vehicles, domestic power battery companies are also accelerating their layout in the soft pack battery market.
