EVE Energy Co., Ltd
Dr Liu Jincheng, Chairman of EVE Energy, a leading lithium-ion battery manufacturer, was invited to speak at the 2023 China EV100 Forum, a three-day event focusing on the development of China's electric vehicle industry. Dr Liu's keynote speech titled "A New Stage for EVE Energy's Power Battery Development" shared insights on the current situation of batteries, challenges in fast charging technology, and the outlook for future development.
The China EV100 Forum is organized by China EV100, and co-hosted by Tsinghua University, the China Society of Automotive Engineers, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, and the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute. The event aims to promote the modernization of China's automobile industry and features discussions on global industry development trends, high-quality development of new energy vehicles, China's intelligent connected vehicle development strategy, and trends in core industry supply chains such as power batteries.
"This is the second time EVE Energy has attended the China EV100 Forum. Our long-term strategy is to develop our lithium-ion battery technology and maintain a steady business structure with consumer batteries, power batteries, and energy storage batteries," said Dr Liu. "In addition, we have strengthened our cooperation with leading companies in the supply chain since 2018 and invested in more than 20 joint ventures to ensure supply and cost control."
Dr Liu discussed the current state of the power storage battery industry, specifically in relation to lithium-ion batteries. He mentioned that developing these batteries is a long-term commitment due to the testing required to ensure their lifespan, which can take several years. He also emphasized the importance of having a long-term perspective when entering the industry and developing a sustained work ethic, even in the dynamic fields of power storage and batteries.
His speech then covered the challenges and practical approaches to fast-charging technology. Dr Liu revealed that focusing on cost and lightweight designs is the current trend in the power battery industry. Safety used to be the primary concern, but after years of effort, it has been adequately addressed. Now, the focus is on optimizing the battery structure and cost. He believes fast-charging technology and network construction are critical to solving the final bottleneck problem affecting electric vehicles' development.
In addition, Dr Liu suggested that improving fast charging to around ten minutes will significantly reduce the social cost of using electric vehicles. He also explained that EVE Energy had conducted successful fast-charging trials in Guangdong and Hubei, and they plan to expand further in partnership with companies in Huizhou and Jingmen. He also suggested that direct current should be used for superfast charging, as it doesn't require large-scale charging stations.
Commenting on his outlook for the industry's development, Dr Liu stated that in the past two years, the company had focused on improving the performance of electric vehicle batteries by optimizing space and structure through design and thermal management. This has led to increased battery capacity and improved space utilization, which in turn has enabled longer driving ranges. One example of this approach he cited was the use of large cylindrical LFP batteries, which feature a new structural design improving space utilization and reducing the number of structural components, thereby lowering costs.