{"id":14240,"date":"2024-07-01T06:30:31","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T06:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=14240"},"modified":"2025-04-23T08:59:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:59:36","slug":"where-does-china-stand-in-the-global-race-for-alternative-ev-batteries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/where-does-china-stand-in-the-global-race-for-alternative-ev-batteries\/","title":{"rendered":"Where does China stand in the global race for alternative EV batteries?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From sodium-ion to all-solid-state batteries, companies worldwide are betting on emerging technologies to win the electric vehicle race, writes You Xiaoying<\/strong> for Dialogue Earth<\/strong><\/h2>\n

At the Beijing Auto Show in April, CATL, the world\u2019s largest electric vehicle (EV) battery maker, stunned many with a new product. The Shenxing Plus battery can power an EV for more than 1,000 kilometres on a single charge, according to CATL. That\u2019s enough to get from Guangzhou to Wuhan, or London to Berlin.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The battery] can reach a range of 600 kilometres with a 10-minute charge, equalling one kilometre every second,\u201d Gao Huan, chief technology officer of CATL\u2019s electric car business, proudly announced at the launch ceremony.<\/p>\n

Chinese firms have been unveiling new lithium-ion cells with longer ranges, shorter charging times and more charging cycles in their lifespans, at a frequency unseen anywhere else in the world. But with the global demand for EV batteries projected to jump up to tenfold by 2030, companies worldwide have been racing to develop next-generation technologies to seize future market shares.<\/p>\n

The innovation rush is driven by various motivations, mainly to cut cost and avoid supply chain bottlenecks. But it could also benefit the environment and climate by reducing carbon emissions during the mining and production of certain minerals, according to a report by consulting firm McKinsey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoever wins the battery war will win it all,\u201d Chinese economist Ren Zeping said in 2022. Ren noted that the technologies and performance of batteries is the \u201ccore\u201d of taking the EV sector forward.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

LFP vs NMC<\/h4>\n

Currently, commercial EVs use one of two main types of lithium battery \u2013 those that contain iron and phosphate, known as LFPs, and those that contain nickel, manganese and cobalt, known as NMCs.<\/p>\n

The primary distinction between them is that NMCs usually have a greater energy density while LFPs are safer, Liu Chenguang, an assistant professor at Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University specialising in battery materials, tells Dialogue Earth.<\/p>\n

Energy density typically measures how much energy a battery contains in proportion to its weight, and is a key performance metric.<\/p>\n

The two types have an equal footing in the EV market globally, but in China, LFPs have become far more popular over the past few years because they are safer, according to Mao Shiyue, a researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) thinktank. They are also cheaper than NMCs given the high cost of cobalt and nickel, Mao tells Dialogue Earth. \u201c[LFPs] can be charged and discharged more times, and they have a longer lifespan, too,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

LFPs are also more environmentally friendly than NMCs because cobalt and nickel are heavy metals that can be harmful to humans and the environment, particularly the aquatic environment.<\/p>\n

Mining operations can also damage nature and local communities by eroding soil, disrupting habitats and diminishing biodiversity. EV and battery manufacturers have been put under increasing scrutiny due to such adverse impacts, particularly as countries like Indonesia \u2013 the world\u2019s largest nickel producer \u2013 have lowered labour and environmental standards to boost their mining industry.<\/p>\n

Ingredients for the batteries of EVs \u2013 as well as for their bodies \u2013 are among the minerals with \u201cthe strongest links to deforestation\u201d, according to a new report published by environmental NGOs AidEnvironment and Rainforest Foundation Norway. This makes the automotive industry the second most important driver of mining-related deforestation globally after construction, the report said.<\/p>\n