If the competition of new energy vehicles is also divided into "second half", then the current penetration rate of my country's new energy vehicle market has reached 21.6%, achieving a leap from scratch, and the "second half" competition has begun.

With more and more users, how to go from "yes" to "good" - to solve the three "pain points" of "safety, cruising range, and fast charging"?

Recently, with these questions, reporters went to the 2022 New Energy Vehicle Conference in Beijing to find answers.

Safety is the continuous pursuit of the industry

　　New energy vehicles, hydrogen fuel cells, automotive chips... At this conference jointly sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology, the Beijing Municipal Government, the Hainan Provincial Government, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, etc., more than 40 companies' core technologies and the latest All products were unveiled, including more than 20 conferences, 13,000 square meters of exhibitions and many events.

　　"The second half of electric vehicles has just begun!" Dong Yang, chairman of the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, said bluntly at the conference that in the past few decades, the electric vehicle industry has initially formed an industry format, and core technologies have also developed to some extent, but The future still has a long way to go.

　　The first is how to be more secure.

Among them, the thermal runaway of new energy vehicles is a topic that car owners are generally concerned about.

At this conference, the reporter found that the industry is looking for better solutions.

　　"Safety is the continuous pursuit of the industry." said Ma Xiaoli, deputy general manager of Guolian Automobile Power Battery Research Institute Co., Ltd. In order to ensure the safety and reliability of new energy vehicles, they have specially built two testing centers, one south and one north. In Huairou, there are more than 160 customers. At present, there are more than 320 testing items, covering more than 100 standards. Last year, another testing sub-center was established in Foshan, Guangdong, with a total investment of 120 million, covering Electrical performance, safety and reliability.”

　　According to Ma Xiaoli, they also worked with 15 battery companies and vehicle companies in the industry to analyze thermal runaway gas production last year.

"We found that in the event of thermal runaway, the 5-minute early warning time for escape is not enough. In addition, what gas will be produced after thermal runaway, what is the amount of this gas, and whether it will harm the occupants in the car? In these researches, we also Some progress has been made," Ma Xiaoli said.

　　The good news is that solutions are currently under development.

"We expect that through this solution, the battery cell early warning can be advanced 30 minutes, which is very important." Ma Xiaoli said: "The early warning must be able to monitor the battery cell when there is a problem. If the battery pack has been thermally out of control, the time is very short. , this danger is very large, and it is impossible to leave enough time for people to escape."

　　Everyone is also very concerned about the safety of smart new energy vehicles.

In the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, where the conference is held, self-driving cars are often speeding past.

Here, using software to call a car, there will be unmanned vehicles that take orders and drive automatically throughout the journey.

　　It is understood that in July this year, Beijing opened the first pilot program of commercialization of unmanned travel services in China. Within a 60-square-kilometer area of ​​the core area of ​​Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, there are 30 unmanned vehicles with main drivers to carry out normal charging services.

　　In the future, how to make users readily accept smart new energy vehicles?

"Safety is the prerequisite for passengers to choose smart new energy vehicles." Gao Zhenhai, Dean of the School of Automotive Engineering, Jilin University, said: "In the future, the mass-produced smart cars must first pass the verification of safety tests, and then the controllability experienced by the drivers and passengers. And ride comfort, these will become the focus of market competition, and also the core integration matching technology that vehicle companies must master."

　　The reporter noticed that at this conference, from the functional safety of preventing misoperation, to the intelligent cockpit providing a more ideal driving posture, to the multi-modal human-computer interaction such as sound, touch, smell, etc. Many new technologies, It shows that smart new energy vehicles will bring a higher quality driving experience.

Can the cruising range be higher?

　　In terms of cruising range, the cruising ability of pure electric new energy vehicles has been greatly improved.

Xin Guobin, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out at the conference that in recent years, the pace of technological innovation in my country's new energy vehicle industry has accelerated, with breakthrough applications such as new group technologies, high nickel and cobalt-free batteries, and semi-solid batteries, and new technologies, new models, and new formats are emerging. .

　　At the new car booth, the reporter saw that the cruising range of the Alpha S model exhibited by Jihu Motors exceeded 700 kilometers, and the electric flagship EQS model of Beijing Benz had a cruising range of more than 800 kilometers under working conditions.

　　According to Wang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Institute of Science and Technology Development Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2021, the average cruising range of new energy vehicles in my country is still in the range of 500 kilometers, and this year, it will be further improved to 600 kilometers or even higher.

"New energy vehicles have significantly improved in terms of battery energy density, power consumption efficiency and cruising range, giving consumers greater confidence." Wang Xiaoming said.

　　During the conference, various battery and car companies also continued to break out "sharp news" - Xie Qiu, senior vice president of China Innovation Aviation, said that the One-stop high-manganese iron lithium battery developed by the company has completed the pilot test and is currently being equipped with supporting facilities. The model has undergone reliability experiments and is planned to be launched around 2024.

He revealed that the battery has an energy density of 180Wh/kg, a cruising range of 700 kilometers, and a cycle life of 2,500 cycles.

　　Zeng Yuqun, chairman of CATL, also revealed that the company's latest Kirin battery adopts the NP2.0 safety protection solution, which is an innovative battery structure technology introduced by CATL this year. The car has a range of 1000 km.

　　There is also good news in the scientific research of power battery materials.

According to Huang Xuejie, a researcher at the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the technological development of power batteries can be mainly divided into two categories: high energy and cost performance.

　　The route and the iteration of the chemical system are the core of the development of the power battery industry.

In his view, on the basis of ensuring the safety and reliability of power batteries in the future, the energy density can be increased by 50% and the price can be reduced by 30%.

In this regard, on the basis of the current lithium iron phosphate battery and ternary lithium battery, Huang Xuejie proposed the development direction of the third-generation power battery: high-voltage nickel-manganate battery and 1000Wh/L high-energy density battery, which are higher than lithium iron phosphate battery respectively. And ternary lithium battery energy density can be increased by 50%.

　　He predicts that by 2030, most batteries will be third-generation power batteries.

"By 2030, most cars sold will be electric cars, and most electric cars will still use lithium-ion batteries, and this lithium-ion battery will be the third generation of lithium-ion batteries. At the same time, the electric energy of the charging pile Most of them are green electricity." Huang Xuejie said.

Can charging be as fast as refueling?

　　"In Shenzhen, 50 out of 100 people who buy a car buy new energy vehicles, especially young people. This fully reflects the rapid development of new energy vehicles. As the number of users increases, it is natural to solve the pain points of users." Pei Feng, president of Guangzhou Juwan Technology Research Co., Ltd., said that the penetration rate of new energy vehicles in Shenzhen has reached 50%. "The biggest pain point is the difficulty of charging convenience. Now is a fast-paced era, 'charging one hour and queuing for four hours' , is very time-consuming, which is especially unacceptable for young people."

　　"Long line for charging and waiting for hours" is indeed the most troublesome problem for new energy vehicle owners.

However, the reporter saw at this conference that fast battery charging and the layout of more charging stations are making it easier for new energy vehicles to travel.

　　At this Beijing conference, GAC Aian New Energy Vehicles attracted quite a lot of attention.

The car can be charged to 80% in just 8 minutes and has a range of 500 kilometers.

"The fast-charging power battery and its system we use have a maximum charging speed of 6 times that of ordinary batteries." Pei Feng said that technology will make car charging as convenient as refueling.

　　But fast charging is not only related to the car, but also inseparable from the charging facilities.

Although my country has built a total of 3.98 million charging piles and 1,625 swap stations, forming the world's largest charging and swapping network, it still cannot meet the rapid growth in the number of new energy vehicles. The most ideal package for everyone is to have charging in the community. Pile, like a gas station, there is a swap station within 2 kilometers.

　　There is also good news in this regard.

At the conference, staff from State Grid Corporation of China and China Southern Power Grid Corporation introduced that charging piles will be implemented in residential areas, shopping malls, and construction sites, and will achieve full coverage of urban and rural areas.

Among them, China Southern Power Grid Corporation has built a total of 9,000 charging stations and 75,000 charging piles, covering all county-level and above cities in the five southern provinces and regions under its jurisdiction, and will achieve full coverage of all towns and villages in the southern region next year.

　　Special Electric Company, which is engaged in the construction and operation of new energy vehicle charging network, has developed a new energy charging network that integrates "wind-solar storage, charging and discharging".

The system can store energy and adjust the charging of the vehicle during peak and valley periods.

At present, the company is stepping up the update and layout of charging stations in more than 350 cities across the country.

　　Many companies have launched mileage solutions for energy supply and supporting facilities.

Take the power battery manufacturer CATL as an example. The small power exchange station they developed can quickly exchange power for new energy vehicles and can store 48 batteries.

"I hope that through the latest research and development of battery replacement products, the battery will become a shared asset, and the three major pain points of electric vehicle users, including cruising range, convenience of charging power, and purchase and use cost, will be resolved." Zeng Yuqun said.

　　The new energy vehicle battle has entered the "second half". In the future scenario, the new industrial ecology will guide global innovation with a more open attitude, and is expected to accelerate the recovery of the global economy.

In this regard, Guo Zhe, director of the Publicity and Culture Department of the China Association for Science and Technology, believes: "The entire industrial chain of equipment, materials, and manufacturing represented by new energy vehicles will reshape the future energy and transportation pattern."

(Reporter Zhan Yuan and Zhang Jinghua)