How to roll 5C supercharger?

Introduction

It may take a car manufacturer ten years of hard work to achieve a ten-minute fast charging.

In recent years, the volume of China's new energy vehicle market has been most directly reflected in the popularity of a large number of configuration terms, such as 8295 chip, laser radar, air suspension, 800V, etc. In fact, these new terms have not only become a hot topic of discussion after dinner, but also reflect the rapid development and technological innovation of the new energy vehicle market.

This year, another technology is beginning to show signs of becoming popular again, and that is 5C super charging.

The "5C" in "5C Supercharge" refers to a charge and discharge rate of 5C, where "C" is the abbreviation of the word "capacity". The charge and discharge rate is a parameter that describes the " battery charge and discharge speed" by "the ratio of discharge current to rated capacity". In other words, the larger the number in front of C, the faster the charging speed.

In layman's terms, if a battery has a capacity of 1Ah and is charged at a current of 5A, it takes 1/5 hour (12 minutes) to fully charge, and its charging rate is 5C. Although it is very easy to understand, it is still difficult to understand.

Simply put, 5C supercharging is a technology that can quickly charge electric vehicles in a relatively short time. Take Ideal MEGA as an example. Its 5C supercharging technology can achieve a range of 500 kilometers in 12 minutes with the support of Ideal 5C supercharging piles .

In fact, the charging technology of power batteries has also developed from the early 2C slow charging to 3C fast charging, and then to the current 4C, 5C and even 6C, and will develop to higher speeds in the future. It is undeniable that as an important means to alleviate the anxiety of electric vehicle range, the ultra-fast charging route has been quite popular in the market in recent years.

Many difficulties lead to low penetration rate

Entering 2023, the focus of the electric vehicle industry has gradually shifted from concerns about driving range to the pursuit of energy replenishment efficiency. In this context, the rise of battery fast charging technology is particularly important, and it is expected to become an effective means to solve the problems of range anxiety and energy replenishment anxiety.

As technology continues to mature, ultra-fast charging batteries that "make charging as quick and convenient as refueling" will gradually become popular in various pure electric vehicles , which will undoubtedly be one of the important factors driving the further expansion of the pure electric new energy vehicle market. Although the significant increase in charging speed seems to attract every new energy vehicle brand to participate, the reality is not the case.

At present, there are very few models on the market that are truly equipped with 5C supercharger batteries. For example, Ideal MEGA, Haobo HT/GT, Zeekr 009/001, Star Era ET/ES and Lantu Zhiyin, even these brands, only some models or high-end versions provide the 5C supercharger function.

In fact, let alone 5C supercharging, even 4C supercharging has not yet been widely popularized. Therefore, there are relatively few cars supporting 5C supercharging on the market, and there are many reasons behind this.

From a technical perspective, 5C supercharging technology is quite advanced, requiring the battery to be able to quickly charge a large amount of electricity in a short period of time. This is not easy to achieve, and requires high-performance batteries, professional charging equipment, and a sophisticated management system to work together. Such technical requirements naturally bring higher R&D costs, which makes some automakers hesitate.

Infrastructure construction is also a big problem. Even if the vehicle supports 5C supercharging, if there is no corresponding charging station, this function is useless. At present, the number of 5C supercharging charging stations is far from meeting market demand, and the distribution is uneven. To solve this problem, a large amount of capital investment and strong government promotion are needed, which cannot be accomplished overnight.

Market demand is also a factor that cannot be ignored. Although fast charging sounds attractive, not all consumers think it is a necessity. Some people may pay more attention to range, price or other performance when buying a car. Therefore, when launching a new car, automakers will take various factors into consideration and may not choose to equip it with 5C supercharging technology.

Safety factors cannot be ignored. Fast charging brings not only convenience, but also potential safety risks. The battery may heat up rapidly during fast charging, which may cause safety accidents if not properly controlled. Therefore, when manufacturers adopt this technology, they must ensure that everything is safe and strictly comply with various safety standards.

It should be noted that although the charging rate represents the theoretical charging speed, the actual charging time is not determined solely by it. Many practical factors, such as the size of the internal resistance of the battery, the conversion efficiency of the charger, the change of the battery temperature during the charging process, and the constant voltage section cut-off current specially set to ensure battery safety, will have a significant impact on the final charging time.

Therefore, there is often a certain gap between the theoretical charging speed and the actual charging experience.

How should automakers deal with the various difficulties encountered in the promotion of 5C supercharging technology? On November 8, Lantu Auto gave its own answer to this question at the Zhiyin Three-Electric Technology Open Day.

Lantu Motors is well aware that in order to truly implement and widely apply 5C supercharging technology, it is necessary to start from multiple aspects such as technology research and development and infrastructure construction. Only in this way can consumers truly feel the convenience and efficiency brought by 5C supercharging technology, thereby promoting the sustainable and healthy development of the entire new energy vehicle industry.

A combination of multi-dimensional upgrades

"At present, in our industry, only three new energy brands have 5C supercharging capabilities. Lantu Auto is one of them. It is the only one in the industry with true 5C supercharging. Most of the others are at the 2C and 3C stages. Lantu Zhiyin has brought 5C supercharging into the 200,000 yuan pure electric SUV market, and it is also the fastest 5C supercharging in this segment."

Lantu has its own views on the four major challenges of 5C supercharging. They are battery technology, thermal management system, charging pile matching, and cost control. Putting aside force majeure, the above four points are enough to block many players from entering the 5C market. The reason why Lantu Zhiyin 5C supercharging is fast is mainly due to the strongest three-electric strength in the same class, and through a combination of multi-dimensional upgrades, it redefines the supercharging experience.

The key to the slow charging problem of electric vehicles lies in the breakthrough of battery materials technology. Due to material limitations, it is difficult to improve the charging speed of traditional batteries. To this end, Lantu started with battery raw materials and formulas and promoted a series of technological innovations.

First, the super electron network cathode technology was used to nanosize the lithium iron phosphate cathode material, construct an efficient supercharged electron network, and accelerate the material's response to discharge signals. At the same time, the introduction of the second-generation graphite fast ion ring technology optimized the graphite surface, providing a highway for current conduction, and thus greatly improving the charge exchange speed.

In addition, Lantu has successfully developed a superconducting electrolyte formula, which not only improves conductivity and reduces electrolyte viscosity, but also significantly enhances the mobility of lithium ions. The ultra-thin SEI membrane technology achieves low resistance, high porosity and low tortuosity, allowing lithium ion transmission to be faster and charging speed to be improved.

However, simply improving battery performance is not enough. Upgrading intelligent electronic control technology is also critical. Lantu has abandoned simple battery stacking and instead focused on improving energy efficiency and endurance through electronic control technology. The new energy vehicle market has entered the 2.0 era of electronic control technology competition. Lantu keeps up with the trend and strives to improve its electronic control strength.

In terms of thermal management, Lantu adopts an advanced three-dimensional control strategy. By monitoring SOC power, battery and ambient temperature, it achieves more refined and efficient thermal management, ensuring that the battery always operates in the optimal working range.

Thanks to the deep accumulation of three-electric technology, the Lantu Zhiyin model has achieved the highest mass-produced electric drive efficiency of 92.9%, leading the world. Its ultra-high COP heat pump air conditioning system and highly integrated thermal management module achieve the ultimate management of battery energy and temperature, maximizing battery and charging efficiency.

Lantu Zhiyin is also equipped with four intelligent temperature maintenance strategies, covering all travel scenarios to ensure that the battery is always in the best working condition. At the same time, the BMS temperature precision control system dynamically compensates the battery temperature based on battery temperature, current, voltage and other information, so that the battery pack temperature can be more accurately controlled in the optimal working range.