The global lithium-ion battery industry after more than 10 years of development, the basic formation of the pattern of Japan, Japan and South Korea one-third of the world. China, South Korea, Japan in the lithium-ion battery market competition can be said to be unique, one-third of the world pattern will remain for quite some time.
Compared to South Korea and Japan, China's advantages can be summarized into three aspects: First, the manufacturing cost is low. China has a low price and rich labor resources, you can use the human-based semi-automated production line, so as to take a low-cost competitive strategy. It can be said that in addition to the expansion of the scale, the world's lithium-ion battery market in recent years, the rapid decline in prices, the basic pull from the Chinese enterprises. Second, China has the world's largest consumer market. Third, China has formed a relatively complete lithium-ion battery industry chain, in the lithium-ion battery materials supporting the possession of a certain advantage.
Disadvantages, the obvious lack of Chinese enterprises in the core technology development, in order to not be subject to human and infringement allegations, technical innovation is still the Chinese enterprises need to continue efforts. In addition, Chinese enterprises generally smaller and lack of international development experience.
Japan's lithium-ion battery business costs higher is the result of Japanese companies competitiveness and market share decline in the main reason. But Japan in the core technology compared to China and South Korea still have obvious advantages. In addition, Japan's lithium-ion battery industry is similar to South Korea, the basic are the Japanese electronics giant's company, in the market channels, to capture consumer and mobile electronics applications such as market trends and the impact of market risk ability to significantly higher than the Chinese enterprises a lot of. In any case, the competition pattern of China, Japan and South Korea is conducive to continue to promote the world's lithium-ion battery industry, technological progress and healthy development.
First, Japan
As a global leader in lithium battery technology, Japanese companies as a whole still focus on the next generation of lithium battery technology development, Japanese companies believe that the development of energy density of 600mAh / g organic compound cathode material (the current energy density Higher lithium cobalt oxide material, but also about 150mAh / g) technology, or not difficult to do. If you can develop the ionic conductivity of 10-2S / cm solid electrolyte technology, can also make the lithium battery energy density greatly improved.
Japan has been working hard to reduce manufacturing costs. In the lithium industry chain, before only the Japanese lithium battery enterprises in order to reduce manufacturing costs and continue to transfer production capacity to the mainland, in the procurement of materials on the page through a purchase of Japanese materials business products to the procurement of Chinese materials business process , These are in order to compete with Korean companies and forced to take the strategy. Based on this, some Japanese people continue to call on Japanese companies to have a greater risk of adventure, to encourage Japan's materials companies and even equipment enterprises to China to produce to support the development of lithium battery companies. At present, many Japanese materials companies to set up factories in China's coastal areas, such as Mitsubishi Chemical (MCC), Asahi Glass Fine Chemical (AGCSeimi Chemical), Ube Industries (UBE), Mitsui Chemicals (MitsuiChem.), JFE Chemical, Hitachi Chemical (HitachiChem .)and many more.
Japanese material companies to China to transfer production capacity, to a certain extent, can reduce manufacturing costs, but depends on the extent of the cost reduction is sufficient for the Korean enterprises to form a certain competitiveness Caixing. Hitachi only put the negative material after the production process on Yantai, it is only considered that this will not cause technical leakage, but such a conservative approach can not reduce the cost. Therefore, Panasonic and Sony will buy it, or a problem. Mitsubishi Chemical's attitude is relatively open, and its development prospects may be better.
For the existing generation of lithium batteries and their materials, Japanese companies to determine the main high-end market before, but for the expansion of production capacity and the huge investment, because the market is bleak in the short term is difficult to recover. The main reason for the dismal market is that battery performance is difficult to meet the demand. Now, many Japanese companies are considering the transfer target market, to those who focus on the price of low-end market to enter. Japan's lithium battery and materials companies are working to reduce manufacturing costs, is to go for this goal. However, in reducing the requirements of the target market at the same time, Japanese companies still focus on these markets in the high-end product demand to avoid competition with the Korean enterprises, because the Japanese lithium battery products in terms of price no matter how can not compete with Hanzhong enterprises The At present in the electric tricycle and low-speed electric car market, Japan is so doing.
At present, the development of low-speed electric vehicles in Japan has formed a trend. In Japan, the trend of miniaturization of electric vehicles, lithium battery companies pay close attention to and participate in them. The world's largest automotive lithium battery company AESC (AutomotiveEnergySupplyCorp., Nissan and NEC joint venture) is actively developing electric tricycle and low-speed electric vehicle market. At present, ElecTrikeJapan company developed three rounds of electric vehicle products ElecTrike, to determine the mass production will use AESC 4kWh battery module.
HEV and ISS Although the battery used in each car is not much, but the market size is very large. Statistics show that in 2012 the world's new registered vehicles for the 68 million, if the average car can use 100Wh lithium battery, it will create a new scale up to 6.8 million kWh huge market. Therefore, the Japanese lithium battery companies are now aiming at this new market.
Second, South Korea
The first few years of this century, South Korean companies and Chinese enterprises together, a joint attack on Japanese companies, crazy to seize the lithium market share, quickly made a three pillars in a position. But then, South Korean lithium companies began to find no direction. China's lithium industry clearly take the low-end line, Japan is in the attack, exit the low-end products market, focus on high-end line, because the market objectives clear, developed are good. Only South Korea's lithium industry, due to the development of positioning is not clear, the development of repeated years ago, the overall situation is almost stagnant, in the three companies "romance", lost the direction, so that the local lithium market, let the Japanese companies occupy With 60% market share. In recent years, South Korea's lithium industry development goals have been clear, that is, taking the high-end line, and Japanese companies to compete.