In the context of the continuous growth of new energy vehicle sales, the expansion plan of the battery industry chain has been accelerated, and power battery companies have accelerated their staking to compete for the trillion-dollar market.

In this context, in order to achieve platform adaptation, reduce costs and increase efficiency, and improve user experience, vehicle companies are also actively deploying upstream to promote Self-development and mastery of battery technology.

Based on this, traditional car companies and new power companies have their own magical powers. NIO recently announced that it plans to start production of new self-developed battery packs in the second half of 2024. The "global pure electric super crossover vehicle" MGMULAN released by SAIC a few days ago also brings a better pure electric performance experience through SAIC's "Cube" battery, high-power density electric drive and other cutting-edge technologies.

In response, a reporter from China Business News interviewed a number of leading power battery companies on production capacity planning and other related issues. The relevant person in charge of Honeycomb Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Hive Energy") said in an interview with reporters: "At present, the global new energy vehicle market is ushering in explosive development, and the demand for power batteries will also reach the TWh level. Therefore, it is very necessary to understand the industry trend and make arrangements in advance. In the first half of this year, the company's Nanjing and Jintan phases have been officially put into operation, and in the second half of the year, Suining, Yancheng, Shangrao and other bases are expected to be put into operation one after another. With the completion and operation of each base, the company's Capacity will be released further.”

New energy vehicle market continues to grow

With the continuous development of the new energy vehicle market, the growth space of the power battery track has been further improved.

 Data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that in May, the domestic production and sales of new energy vehicles were 466,000 and 447,000, up 49.5% and 49.6% from the previous month, both increasing year-on-year. 1.1 times. From January to May, the domestic production and sales of new energy vehicles completed 2.071 million and 2.003 million respectively, an increase of 1.1 times year-on-year.

 At the same time, according to incomplete statistics, in the first quarter of this year alone, there were 29 new domestic power battery construction projects, with a total investment of 339.11 billion yuan.

 Thanks to the demand-side drive, the installed capacity of power batteries has also been increasing. According to the data of the China Automotive Power Battery Industry Innovation Alliance, the installed capacity of power batteries in my country totaled 18.6GWh in May, a year-on-year increase of 90.3% and a month-on-month increase of 39.9%. Data show that from January to April, the global installed capacity of power batteries increased by 83.4% year-on-year to 122.9GWh. Among them, Chinese companies occupy six of the top ten, with a market share of 55.3%, continuing to lead the global market.

 At the same time, affected by factors such as rising raw materials and surging demand, more and more car companies have adopted various The way to seek "second supply" or even "third supply" has also become an important factor for the second-tier manufacturers to focus on expanding production.

 Wu Hui, general manager of the Research Department of Ivey Economic Research Institute, believes that with the continuous expansion of the market size and the cultivation of second suppliers by car companies, the second echelon The market share of battery companies is expected to continue to grow. "At present, the share of leading companies is still relatively high, but as the scale effect of the second echelon becomes more obvious, related companies will gain more space."

In this context, the customer base of battery companies continues to expand. A few days ago, Leapmotor C01 equipped with honeycomb energy cells was unveiled at the Greater Bay Area Auto Show. It is reported that the listed models assembled by Honeycomb Energy this year include Lantu FREE, Tianji Auto ME5, Hezhong Auto Nezha V and Nezha U and many other latest models.

"Up to now, the company has obtained nearly 50 project designations from major domestic and foreign mainstream car companies. We will continue to increase the supply to external customers." The relevant person in charge of Honeycomb Energy said, "In the future, based on the industry development trend and the potential needs of OEM customers, we will adhere to the focus strategy, continue to optimize the business model, and transform our strength into Koubei, while digging deep into existing customer resources, expands its business coverage and provides more customers with superior products and services.”

In addition, under the joint stimulation of capital and demand, the development of power batteries at the technical level continues to accelerate. A few days ago, Guoxuan Hi-Tech Co., Ltd. (002074.SZ, hereinafter referred to as "Guoxuan Hi-Tech") released a 360Wh/kg semi-solid battery. Guoxuan Hi-Tech said that semi-solid batteries will be loaded into vehicles this year. Models equipped with semi-solid batteries have a battery pack capacity of 160kWh, a cruising range of up to 1000km, and an acceleration time of only 3.9s per 100km/h.

Expansion project to accelerate the implementation

Faced with urgent needs and broad market prospects, major battery companies have accelerated the implementation of production expansion plans.

Relevant data shows that in the first quarter of this year, a total of 29 new domestic power battery projects were put into construction, with a total investment of 339.11 billion yuan and a planned power battery production capacity of nearly 877GWh. At the same time, in the new wave of expansion, more and more battery companies propose to open up the upstream and downstream and establish a closed-loop industrial chain.

At the end of last year, Honeycomb Energy officially released the "600" strategy of Leader Bee, and proposed to achieve the 600GWh production capacity planning target by 2025. It is reported that the company has 12 major production bases in the world, in addition to Europe, mainly in the Yangtze River Delta, South China and Southwest China.

A few days ago, the Dazhou Municipal People's Government and Honeycomb Energy signed the Honeycomb Energy Dazhou Lithium Battery Zero-Carbon Industrial Park project agreement, with a planned total investment of 17 billion yuan to build lithium iron phosphate and Cobalt-free cathode material production line, lithium iron phosphate precursor and electrolyte production line, battery recycling and dismantling production line and related supporting facilities.

The relevant person in charge of Honeycomb Energy pointed out that in the lithium battery industry, the competition among battery companies is increasingly fierce, and the so-called "whoever wins the industry chain wins the world". The construction of Honeycomb Energy Dazhou Lithium Battery Zero-Carbon Industrial Park will rely on Dazhou's abundant raw materials and green power resources and other supporting industries to continue to promote the implementation of the project.