met Fang Weifeng via video and made three appointments in four days before confirming the time. "I'm really busy after the Spring Festival. The institute has more than 100 projects, and the team I lead is responsible for more than 20." He appeared on the WeChat screen on the twelfth day of the first lunar month, with a rather "youthful" face and firm eyes. He talked endlessly about the power lithium battery for new energy vehicles.
Fang Weifeng, Vice President of China Innovation Aviation Battery Technology Research Institute. In 2010, he graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Pennsylvania State University in the United States with a Ph.D., and then worked for the world-famous lithium battery separator manufacturer SELGO Corporation of the United States. He returned to China in 2017 and joined China Airlines in September 2020. He has been engaged in the research and development of lithium-ion battery since he was studying for a Ph.D. overseas, and has been doing so for 17 years. China New Aviation is one of the leading companies in the domestic power lithium battery industry. In November last year, it was restructured from the original well-known state-owned enterprise China Aviation Lithium Battery . In 2018, the headquarters of AVIC Lithium Battery was moved from Luoyang to Jintan District, Changzhou City.
"There are two major new topics this year, one is the full life cycle management of ternary lithium batteries, and the other is battery recycling technology. We have started to continue just after the Spring Festival holiday. Even during the Spring Festival, the productive experiment team is still working overtime." Fang Weifeng told reporters that since returning to China, especially since joining China New Airlines, for him, the holidays are just a period of thinking and preparation for the latest research and development projects. The
high-voltage medium-nickel lithium battery chemistry system and the "pop-up" high-safety lithium battery are the two most outstanding innovations achieved by Fang Weifeng and his team so far in China New Aviation. It is understood that nickel-cobalt-manganese ternary material lithium batteries are currently the mainstream product installed in pure electric passenger cars around the world, and the nickel element content is an important indicator that determines the battery energy density. But batteries with high nickel content are not safe. Under high voltage conditions, the medium content of nickel maintains a high energy density, while greatly improving the safety of the battery and preventing fire and combustion. The so-called "bounce-type" battery is in the form of a square aluminum shell. Compared with the cylindrical battery dominated by Tesla in the United States, more cells can be installed in the same size of space. The battery pack has a stronger endurance and is more intensively manufactured. It has only been one year and four months since he joined China Innovation Aviation. Fang Weifeng's innovation speed is so fast and efficient that he is at the forefront of the domestic lithium battery industry.
Last year, Fang Weifeng and his team also achieved the latest breakthroughs in multiple cutting-edge lithium battery technology fields. For example: One-Stop battery structure design and production technology, through modular structural components, ultra-thin multi-dimensional shell and other designs, reduce the number of components by 25%, increase space utilization by 5%, reduce structural weight by 40%, and increase production efficiency by 60%, which greatly improves the safety and reliability of battery cells. Another example: using high-efficiency thermoelectric integration technology to achieve fire-proof battery packs, all-climate use and million-kilometer quality assurance. In the battery safety acupuncture test, the national standard requires no fire within 5 minutes, but the high safety battery of China Innovation Aviation has a non-fire time of more than one hour. Another example: recycling technology, which meticulously dismantles lithium battery modules, can achieve low-carbon, low-pollution recycling and regeneration of electrode materials, lithium salts , metals, plastics, electrolytes . Since last year, China Aviation Industry's market share has grown rapidly and it has emerged as one of the top three power lithium battery giants in the domestic industry. The innovative power represented by more than 600 people from China Aviation Battery Technology Research Institute has undoubtedly played a huge role in promoting the company. Fang Weifeng and his team are an important part of this force and the "vanguard" among them.
Fang Weifeng is quite confident about the innovation goals for the new year. The full life cycle management technology of ternary lithium batteries aims to be able to monitor various indicators of the battery life cycle in a timely manner, visualize safety, accurately utilize energy, and achieve multi-dimensional management. It is expected to be partially put into production in the fourth quarter. In addition, the development of next-generation advanced batteries and advanced materials aims to develop high-capacity and long-life carbon-sulfur cathodes, long-cycle lithium anodes, composite electrolyte separators, ultra-low-temperature electrolytes, etc. that are superior to peers, and achieve high-reliability engineering manufacturing. Battery swapping technology will optimize the use of old and new batteries to extend battery life.Recycling technology has entered the industrial application stage, and it is expected that low-cost in-situ reuse of graphite materials will be possible within this year. Regarding the "countdown" to these innovations, Fang Weifeng said frankly: It is difficult, but there is no pressure and he has enough confidence.
Why did you return to China? Why join China Airlines? Fang Weifeng said that as a scientist, the greatest happiness is to apply what he has learned to solve problems for mankind and meet social needs. While working in the United States, I discovered through communicating with relatives and friends in China that the new energy vehicle industry in the motherland is developing rapidly. When I returned to China in 2017, it coincided with a new round of boom in the domestic new energy vehicle market. Many new power companies joined in, and the quantity and quality of power lithium batteries ushered in explosive development. The reason why we joined Zhongxin Airlines from the original company was because we recognized the innovative spirit of this old company. It is reported that the name of AVIC Lithium Battery has been changed to "AVIC Innovation Aviation Technology Co., Ltd.", which is "AVIC + Innovation", with the intention of starting a new journey of innovation and development. China Airlines' last round of financing amounted to 12 billion yuan, setting a new record for the largest single financing in the Jiangsu venture capital circle in 2021. At the beginning of this year, it was officially preparing to go public in Hong Kong. In a sense, this reflects the capital market’s recognition of China Airlines’ innovative capabilities.
In Fang Weifeng’s view, power lithium batteries are first of all a product for daily use, and technological innovation must first solve the core issues that consumers are concerned about, including cruising range, safety, service life, charging time, price, etc. All "battery anxiety" is the direction of innovation. Secondly, we should think about issues from the perspective of a developing industry, such as: manufacturing efficiency, ecological chain, sustainable development of , , etc. Third, the problem should be solved based on the overall function of the battery.
"The biggest difference between R&D in China and in the United States is efficiency, sense of mission and passion. In China, Xinhang not only has clear goals and efficiency, but also everyone has dedication." Fang Weifeng told reporters. In the mind of this top scientist in the field of lithium batteries from Putian, Fujian, perhaps this is the power that dreams should have.
Jiangsu Economic News reporter Wang Junfeng
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