Oil prices continued to rise in early 2022, reaching a new high in recent years. Many car owners said that refueling was too expensive and wanted to switch to a new energy vehicle. However, new energy vehicle companies have also experienced a wave of "price increases" due to rising battery costs. The prices of many models have increased by thousands to tens of thousands of yuan. Compared with the increase in oil prices, there is no obvious advantage.
"My dad told me these days that the gas price for driving at home is too expensive, and he asked me to look at new energy vehicles, but it seems that they are not cost-effective." Xiao Yang, who has the intention to buy a car in Guangzhou in the near future, did the math for a Nandu reporter. An account was made.
"Taking Guangdong No. 92 gasoline as an example, the price on January 1 this year was 7.16 yuan per liter, and on March 18 it was 8.66 yuan per liter, an increase of 1.5 yuan per liter. The average price increase of new energy vehicles this year is 5,000 yuan. It’s about 3,000 yuan, which is equivalent to the increase in the price of more than 3,000 liters of oil, which means that it takes tens of thousands of kilometers to cover the increase in oil prices.” Xiao Yang said, based on this calculation, it feels that the price of oil is not as high as the increase in the price of new energy vehicles.
Guangdong oil price data shows that No. 92 gasoline has continued to rise since 2022, continued to rise after "breaking 8", and has now reached a 10-year historical high. As of March 18, the price of No. 92 gasoline in Guangdong has increased by about 21%, and the driving costs of owners of fuel-powered vehicles have increased significantly.
However, the price increase data of raw materials for power lithium batteries, which are the core of new energy vehicles, is even more exaggerated. On March 18, market data showed that the domestic price of lithium carbonate was reported at 504,000 yuan/ton, an increase of 73.8% from the beginning of the year and a year-on-year increase of 479.3%. The sharp increase in raw material prices continues to be transmitted to the middle and lower reaches of the industrial chain, pushing up the price of power batteries, which in turn prompts new energy vehicle companies to increase prices.
"The increase in battery costs in the second quarter is outrageous." Ideal AutoCEO Li Xiang said on his social media account on the evening of March 19 that according to him, the current contract with the battery manufacturer has determined the increase in battery prices in the second quarter. Almost all new energy vehicle brands immediately announced price increases. Car companies that have not yet raised prices are mainly because they have not yet reached an agreement on the price increase with battery manufacturers, and they will generally increase prices immediately after the agreement is reached. However, on March 21, Qin Lihong, president of NIO , stated on social media that " NIO will not increase prices," and later told the media that "at least there is no such plan yet."
Nandu reporters sorted out public information It was found that since 2022, nearly 20 car companies including Tesla, BYD, Volkswagen, GAC, Xpeng, WM, Euler, and Nezha have launched over 40 models in the domestic auto market. The price of the model has been increased.
The minimum increase is 1,000 yuan for a few models, and the increase for many models is 3,000-7,000 yuan. In addition, many car companies have increased their models by more than 10,000 yuan. For example, Tesla's multiple models increased their prices in batches by 10,000 to 20,000 yuan in March, Leapmotor's entire C11 series increased in price by 20,000 or 30,000 yuan, and Xpeng Motors' models on sale increased in price by 10,100-20,000 yuan. Yuan et al.
On March 21, 2022, it was reported online that , the leading domestic power battery company, Ningde Times , had raised the price of batteries twice since the second half of last year. The increase was 10,000 yuan based on the battery used in a new energy vehicle. CATL responded that due to the sharp increase in upstream raw material prices, the company has dynamically adjusted the prices of some battery products accordingly.
The competent authorities have also begun to pay attention to the problem of sharp price increases in upstream raw materials. According to news released on the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on March 18, on March 16-17, 2022, the Raw Materials Industry Department and the First Equipment Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with the Price Department of the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation, conducted price supervision and inspections. The Anti-Unfair Competition Bureau organized a symposium on the operation of the lithium industry and a symposium on the price increase of upstream materials for power batteries.
It is reported that the meeting focused on understanding the production and demand conditions of upstream and downstream enterprises in the lithium resource development, lithium salt production, cathode materials, power batteries and other industrial chains, as well as the most urgent demands at present, and listened to relevant industry organizations and professionals. people’s opinions and suggestions. The
meeting required that upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain should strengthen the connection between supply and demand, work together to form a long-term, stable strategic collaboration, jointly guide the rational return of lithium salt prices, and increase efforts to ensure market supply.
In fact, the supply of new energy power battery materials has been in short supply since 2021.
During the National Two Sessions in 2022, a number of representatives from the automotive and lithium battery industry leaders put forward suggestions or proposals. For example, SAIC Group Party Committee Secretary Chen Hong suggested that upstream resources such as lithium and cobalt should be effectively integrated and controlled to ensure the safety of the industrial chain.
Chairman of CATL Zeng Yuqun suggested taking effective measures as soon as possible to ensure the supply and stable price of domestic lithium resources, speed up the exploration and development of domestic lithium resources, and ensure the security of the supply chain. Tianqi Lithium Chairman Jiang Weiping suggested accelerating the green development of lithium mine resources in western Sichuan.
"The general price increase of new energy vehicles is a normal measure chosen by downstream car companies when the prices of upstream materials continue to rise." Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the Passenger Car Association, said recently that the current raw material prices are very abnormal. , it is estimated that it may return to the normal price range in the second half of this year.
Produced by: Nandu Science and Technology Innovation Studio
Written by: Nandu reporter Xu Jincong
