The alternative
energy vehicle market in China is accelerating rapidly, with production of
alternative energy automobiles set to increase 55% in 2015, according to China
market experts CCM. This boom is
fuelling the growth of several upstream industries, and none more so than the
power lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery industry, which is enjoying rapid growth in
China. In particular, CCM believes that the PVDF-coated Li-ion battery
separator is a very promising product.
The Twenty-First
Century has been kind to the Li-ion battery industry. First, the increasing
ubiquity of consumer electronic devices such as smartphones sent revenue
soaring – between 2003 and 2013, global Li-ion battery industry revenues
increased from $5.31 billion to $27.55 billion. Now, the industry is enjoying a
second windfall. Increasing demand from the energy storage and, especially, the
alternative energy vehicle industries is predicted to raise global market
demand for Li-ion batteries from 67.07 million kWh in 2014 to 131.20 million
kWh in 2016, a 39.85% compound annual growth rate.
Growth in China’s
Li-ion battery market has been even more rapid – the average annual growth rate
in China has been 10-13% higher than the global average – and strong government
support for China’s emerging alternative energy vehicle industry should benefit
domestic Li-ion battery manufacturers even further. This support was cemented in
July 2014 with the publication of the
Guidance to Accelerate the Promotion and Application of Alternative Energy
Automobiles, which contains development projects for China’s battery electric
vehicle (BEV), plug-in hybrid electrical vehicle (PHEV), extended range
electric vehicle (EREV) and fuel cell vehicle (FCV) industries.
As the power
Li-ion batteries used in alternative energy vehicles contain a large number of
separators, the increasing demand for hybrid and electric cars is good news for
Chinese Li-ion battery separator manufacturers. Production of separators in
China did not begin until as late as 2008, as the advanced technology required
was out of reach of Chinese companies until that point. Nevertheless, the industry
has made great strides in recent years and Chinese manufacturers are beginning
to become suppliers of international clients. Shenzhen Senior Technology
Material Co., Ltd. (Senior), for example, has supplied the US-based A123 System
LLC. and the South Korea-based LG Electronics Inc. with its products.
However, the high
performance needed to power an alternative energy vehicle presents a challenge
to China’s separator manufacturers. According to industry experts, a power
Li-ion battery’s internal temperature can rise to a very high level when in
use, and this can easily cause the cathode separator to melt, which may result
in a short circuit.
For this reason,
CCM believes that PVDF-coated separators may become increasingly popular in
China. Although more expensive than conventional separators, PVDF-coated
separators offer several key advantages, significantly improving the safety
performance, reducing leaking and the expansion rate, and extending the life
cycle of the battery, and improving the consistency of battery cells.
As the table
below shows, a number of Chinese companies are already manufacturing
PVDF-coated separators. It is very likely that we will also see more companies
join this market in the near future.
Details of some
of China’s PVDF-coated separator manufacturers, 2014
|
Enterprise
|
New
product
|
Remark
|
|
FSPG
Hi-Tech Co., Ltd.
|
PVDF
separators applied in solar battery
|
A
leader in new polymer materials such as Li-ion battery separators, polarizing
film and capacitor film
|
|
Cangzhou
Mingzhu Plastic Co., Ltd.
|
New
Li-ion battery separators such as composite separators, ceramic coated
separators and PVDF coated separators
|
It
has three production lines for Li-ion battery separators with a total
production capacity of 20 million m2/a. The output in 2013 was 13
million m2.
|
|
Foshan
Yingbolai Technology Co., Ltd.
|
Composite
separators, ceramic coated separators and PVDF coated separators
|
/
|
Note: PVDF stands
for polyvinylidene fluoride
Source: CCM
-
This
article was provided by CCM, a leading provider of data and business
intelligence on China’s chemicals market. CCM has launched China Li-ion Battery E-News, a new e-journal dedicated to analyzing all
the latest news and trends in China’s Li-ion battery industry. For more
information on CCM and China Li-ion Battery E-News, please visit www.cnchemicals.com or contact econtact@cnchemicals.com
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