Controversy over current technology routes for high power battery cathode materials

　　The current technical route of lithium batteries has 4 schools: lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium (NCA, NCM), lithium manganate, and lithium titanate.

　　1. Lithium iron phosphate

　　Due to the safety and low cost of lithium iron phosphate batteries, the future price of lithium iron phosphate materials will be less than RMB 30,000/ton, and lithium iron phosphate batteries will be less than RMB 0.5/Wh. The volumetric energy density of BYD’s lithium iron phosphate blade battery and CATL’s CTP lithium iron phosphate battery has increased significantly, and the impact on the ternary battery in the future cannot be ignored. Tesla's Shanghai plant and CATL may use lithium iron phosphate batteries to reduce costs. Because of its long cycle life and high safety, the voltage platform is a perfect substitute for lead-acid batteries. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are the first choice in the field of energy storage.

　　2. Ternary lithium (NCA, NCM)

　　With Tesla as the representative, it uses Japan's Panasonic NCA battery, South Korea's LG 811 and China's CATL 811 batteries. Tesla has built a plant in Lingang New City, Shanghai, China, using NCA batteries.

　　3. Lithium manganate

　　NISSAN uses lithium manganese oxide batteries. Lithium manganate is widely used in low-speed electric vehicles, logistics vehicles, and electric bicycles. Due to the high voltage platform and high compaction density of lithium manganate, its volumetric energy density is equivalent to that of lithium iron phosphate. However, the lithium manganese oxide battery has the problem of natural capacity degradation to be solved.

　　4. Lithium titanate route

　　Lithium titanate batteries are expensive, but have good safety, high charge-discharge rates, and long cycle life (up to 5,000-10,000 times). The energy density of lithium titanate batteries is low (even lower than that of lithium iron phosphate batteries).

　　Lithium titanate batteries are affected by too low energy density and are no longer favored in the field of electric vehicles, but they still have application prospects in the field of energy storage. Because the energy storage field does not require high volume, but has high requirements for safety, charging speed, and cycle life.