Chemical giant snatch a lithium battery "cake"
7800 United States Government introduced billion economic stimulus package, about 2.4 billion U.S. dollars to finance companies to develop advanced energy storage technology. The U.S. carmaker Ford is responsible for energy storage strategy and research services senior manager Ted Miller, a recent analysis pointed out that the current U.S. government investment in the development of this advanced technology has been advancing over the 2003 when the fuel cell R & D into the United States lithium batteries and other energy storage technology development program will provide 11 billion chemical company 130 billion market opportunity.
The market has formed the basis of
Miller pointed out that climate change, greenhouse gases and air quality, the degree of concern by the whole society is increasing. Currently, the development of market-based lithium battery also exists. Hybrid vehicles currently account for 3% of the U.S. car market share of 4%, almost all of the current assembly of this type of car is still a nickel-metal hydride batteries.
However, Miller said the end of the year, Daimler will launch a Mercedes (Mercedes) S series hybrid vehicles, this series of cars will be equipped with lithium batteries. GM and Ford will also be launched in 2010 lithium battery hybrid vehicles. One after another vehicle manufacturers to introduce more hybrid cars lithium battery applications. By 2015, demand for U.S. automobile manufacturing lithium battery market share will reach 11 billion to 130 billion U.S. dollars.
According to Miller, said, in addition to automobile industry, the demand for lithium batteries and a large power generation industry. The current U.S. government is encouraging power companies to use more renewable resources like wind and solar energy to generate electricity, and solar energy, wind power generation system to be used in lithium battery energy storage devices.
Tremendous business opportunities battery components
Lithium from the positive and negative electrodes, electrolyte and polymer separator film composition, the components for the chemical companies means that a huge opportunity.
Required for the production of lithium compounds, lithium battery electrode materials, batteries lithium hexafluoride required electrolyte and battery separator required a huge market potential. Lithium battery separator material which is the highest technical barriers to a high value-added materials, usually over 70% gross profit margin, accounting for 20% of the cost of lithium batteries to 30%.
Lithium-ion battery separators commonly used polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) single layer membrane, and by the PP and PE multilayer composite microporous membrane as the separation membrane. Polypropylene, for example, its raw material costs about 1 yuan / ton, and will be processed into membranes, its value can be up to 300 yuan / ton, up to several hundred times the rate of appreciation.
Chemical giant active part of which
Took a fancy to this great business opportunities, global chemical giants are involved in this field. ExxonMobil Chemical has production plants in Japan that required battery separator, and Gumi in South Korea building new production plant to meet growing market demand, the new factory will be put into operation in 2010. ExxonMobil Chemical has also increased research and development efforts, recently the company has developed a series of co-extruded V battery separator of the two new brands, the brand of the new development will help produce safer lithium-ion battery can be used for hybrid and electric vehicles.
BASF of Germany and the U.S. Department of Energy has been (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory under signed a license agreement. Under the agreement, BASF will be commercial production and sales of Argonne National Laboratory's patented composite cathode materials, the products are sold to a manufacturer of advanced lithium batteries. BASF will also Beachwood, Ohio, the application of the material for further development. BASF said that if approved the construction of the plant will become North America's largest cathode production plant. The plant is expected in 2011 and put into operation in 2012.
BASF aims to become the world's lithium battery cathode materials, the market leader. It is reported that the current size of the market has reached about 10 billion U.S. dollars. BASF has recently with other German companies and academic organizations formed a partnership to accelerate the lithium battery in the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and other areas of development and commercial application.
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