As a company dedicated to the R&D and production of new energy vehicle battery technology, we clearly realize that lithium-ion batteries have become the mainstream of the new energy vehicle industry. Among the many types of lithium-ion batteries, ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries are undoubtedly the most representative two. These two batteries have their own characteristics and advantages in terms of structure, performance, cost, safety and application fields, which provide a wealth of choices for our product development and market layout.
Among the two battery types, the main advantage of ternary lithium batteries is their high energy density, which means they have extremely high energy storage efficiency. In terms of energy density, ternary lithium batteries are superior to lithium iron phosphate batteries. The energy density of ternary lithium batteries is generally 180-230Wh/kg, while that of lithium iron phosphate batteries is 140-160Wh/kg. This means that for batteries of the same weight, the energy density of ternary lithium batteries is 1.6-1.7 times that of lithium iron phosphate batteries. Therefore, in new energy vehicles, ternary lithium batteries can provide longer battery life.
We use lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide mixed with three metal oxides of nickel, cobalt and manganese as the positive electrode material of the ternary lithium battery, graphite as the negative electrode material, and a professional electrolyte to produce a high-performance battery. This kind of battery has high energy density and can store a large amount of electric energy. It is an ideal choice for new energy vehicles, especially electric vehicles with high cruising range. However, the production cost of such batteries is relatively high, mainly due to the high production cost of lithium nickel cobalt sulfonium oxide and the relatively high price of metal materials such as cobalt and nickel. In addition, the safety of ternary lithium batteries is relatively low, because it is prone to thermal runaway under extreme conditions such as overcharge, overdischarge, and high temperature.
Compared with ternary lithium batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries have lower energy density, but their advantages lie in higher safety and longer life cycle. Its positive electrode material is composed of lithium iron phosphate, which has the characteristics of high potential, high specific capacity, high energy, and long life. At the same time, it is safer because its negative electrode is made of carbon material, which can effectively avoid metal lithium. The generation of the battery reduces the risk of thermal runaway of the battery under extreme conditions.
In terms of cycle life, under the same number of cycles, the remaining capacity of the lithium iron phosphate battery far exceeds that of the ternary lithium battery. In theory, both lithium iron phosphate batteries and ternary lithium batteries can be charged and discharged more than 2,000 times, that is, more than five years. The life of ternary lithium batteries is generally about 8-10 years, while lithium iron phosphate batteries are better in cycle life.
From the perspective of cost, the production cost of ternary lithium battery is relatively high, but it is relatively high in terms of specific energy, power, charging speed, etc., and has high energy density. For example, the cost of the ternary lithium battery used in the Tesla Model 3 exceeds one-third of the entire battery cost. Relatively speaking, lithium iron phosphate battery is currently the lowest cost battery. The price of its positive electrode material lithium iron phosphate is relatively low, and it does not contain precious metal materials, so its raw material cost is relatively low. Despite its low energy density, it performs very well in terms of safety and cost performance.
In terms of safety, lithium iron phosphate batteries perform well in high-rate charge-discharge characteristics and cycle life. Its high temperature resistance and charging temperature range are wider, and the thermal runaway temperature can reach more than 800 degrees, which is not easy even under extreme conditions. Thermal runaway occurs, which has high safety.
Although ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries are different in terms of material composition, energy density, cycle life, cost and safety, as a manufacturer, we pay more attention to how to choose according to specific needs and application scenarios. The most suitable battery type. In the field of electric vehicles, if the battery has a higher mileage requirement, we will give priority to ternary lithium batteries with higher energy density; and if the battery safety and life requirements are higher, we will choose lithium iron phosphate batteries . At the same time, we will also consider the cost of batteries to ensure our products are competitive in the market.
In general, ternary lithium batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries have their own advantages and limitations, and their advantages and disadvantages are also intertwined. But in any case, these two battery types are an important part of our new energy vehicle battery technology research and development and production, and are also an important force to promote our company’s continuous development in the new energy vehicle market. We will continue to invest more R&D resources to explore and develop more efficient, safer and more economical new energy vehicle battery technologies, and provide better products and services for the new energy vehicle market and consumers.
