Charging Ahead: Li Auto's Pure Electric Ambition
Charging Ahead: Li Auto's Pure Electric Ambition
Unveiling the high-voltage (800v) platform and supercharging network to drive future growth
Li Auto, known for its range extender vehicles, is venturing into the pure electric vehicle (EV) market with a focus on charging solutions. In a prior post, I posed the question whether Li Auto have the conviction to invest heavily into charging. Well, the answer they provided at the Shanghai Auto Show was a resounding yes.
A key element of their strategy is an 800V supercharging solution, introduced by Li Auto's president and chief engineer, Ma Donghui. This innovative approach aims to deliver a 10-minute charge that provides 400km of range by combining a high-voltage electric drive system, a 4C charging-capable battery, a wide-temperature thermal management system, and a 4C supercharging network. These advancements are expected to greatly enhance charging speed and efficiency.
Li Auto plans to begin trial operations of its first 25 charging stations by May this year and expand to 300 high-speed supercharging stations by year's end. The goal is to have over 3,000 charging stations by 2025, covering 90% of China's national highways and major cities (tier 3 cities and above).
This strategy marks Li Auto’s entry into a new phase, focusing on both range-extended EVs and high-voltage BEVs. By 2025, they plan to offer a diverse lineup that includes one flagship model, five range-extended EV models, and five high-voltage pure EV models, targeting the market above 200,000 RMB and meeting the needs of family users.
Two main reasons had previously kept Li Auto from developing pure electric products: high battery costs and slow charging times. However, with battery costs decreasing and high voltage (800v) power electronics becoming more cost effective, now seems like the perfect time to enter the BEV market.
Today, let’s do a deep dive into their new BEV strategy.
01
High-Voltage (800V) Key Enabler For 500+ kW Charging
High-voltage (800V) architecture plays a pivotal role in enhancing charging and energy consumption efficiency in electric vehicles (EVs). By increasing the voltage level, the current required to transfer the same amount of power is reduced, resulting in minimized resistive losses and improved charging speeds. This means that EVs equipped with 800V systems can charge more quickly and with less heat generation, ultimately leading to longer battery life and reduced stress on the charging infrastructure.
In addition, the energy consumption of batteries can also be reduced through the design of efficient electric drive systems.
To accomplish this, Li Auto has developed its own 800V high-voltage platform, including the use of silicon carbide (SiC) in its power electronics. SiC components exhibit better thermal conductivity, allowing for better heat dissipation and enabling the module to handle higher current. As a result, they are particularly suitable for high-voltage electric vehicles, solving the efficiency problems.
Ma further explained that their 800V silicon carbide power module can support up to 480A of current output. Compared to other industry products with the same current capability, size of the module can be reduced by 50% while increasing the power density to as high as 62 kW/L. This reduces the volume and weight of the electric drive system, further optimizing the vehicle's space and energy consumption.
Unlike Tesla, which recently announced plans to reduce its use of SiC transistors by 75% due to high costs, Li Auto is fully committed to this technology. To address the cost concerns, Ma Donghui revealed that Li Auto would leverage in-house research, vertically-integrated production, and strategic joint ventures to drive down cost while ensuring supply and performance.
On the battery front, at the Shanghai Auto Show, Li Auto revealed its partnership with CATL for the development of its first pure electric vehicle. The car will be equipped with CATL's 4C Kirin battery, which boasts advanced technologies for fast charging capabilities and efficient cooling.
With these foundational upgrades, there should be no problem for Li Auto’s BEV to charge at the rated 500 kW speed.
02
Li Auto Going “All-in” On Charging Network
An electric vehicle's fast charging experience relies not only on the car's ability to accept high power input but also on the charging station's capacity to deliver it. In response, Li Auto has announced plans to construct a network of 4C supercharging stations:
By the end of May this year, the first batch of 25 Ideal 4C supercharging stations will start trial operations.
By the end of 2023, Li Auto aims to build over 300 high-speed supercharging stations, covering 70% of the highway mileage in China's four major economic zones.
By 2025, they plan to have over 3,000 charging stations covering 90% of the national highway mileage and major cities.
These 4C supercharging stations are designed to be modular, adaptable, and equipped with smart sensors. In Ma’s view, the biggest advantage that Li Auto has compared to third-party charging stations is the ability to integrate the car, charging pile, and cloud together to provide a seamless customer experience while improving operational efficiency. Not only will users be able to access real-time station information through their car or smartphone app, each charging station will also report real-time metrics such as uptime, wait time, charging speed back to the company for further analysis and optimization as well.
Interestingly, Li Auto's supercharging station is currently designed with a capacity of 640 kW, which obviously isn’t enough to feed multiple 4C (500 KW) charging piles. To this, Ma mentioned the following:
"As the number of vehicles capable of 4C fast charging continues to increase, our system also has the ability to connect to energy storage. This is largely a cost consideration."
When asked about possibility of a battery swapping service, Ma, denied any plans to deploy such service. He explained that battery swapping faces challenges with compatibility across various vehicle models and brands, which doesn't align with the company's efficiency-focused approach.
03
China’s NEV Market Is Entering The “Playoff”
During the Shanghai Auto Show, Li Xiang, the company’s founder, expressed that they are now entering a "three-year elimination game" (2023-2025) in the smart electric vehicle industry. He emphasized the importance of technology, product, and scale in order to remain competitive. His goal is to make Li Auto into one of the top 5 players in the market, making their entry into the pure electric segment essential.
While no new car was unveiled at the event, it's expected that Li Auto’s first pure electric vehicle, similar to an MPV, will be released by the end of 2023. Li Auto also stated that they will have "1 flagship model + 5 extended range electric models + 5 high-voltage pure electric models" by 2025 to satisfy the market for family users above 200,000 RMB.
With a strong foothold in the extended range market, Li Auto’s success in the pure electric race is far from guaranteed. But at the very least, their conviction is clear.