The blue ocean market of ship electrification is “coming soon”. With the continuous narrowing of the subsidy window period for new energy, the market is highly concentrated and the competition is intensifying. Some lithium battery companies have begun to focus on this market segment.
Gaogong Lithium has noticed that Nanjing, Wuhan, Xinjiang and other lake/river scenic spots are promoting the conversion of ship oil to electricity; Wuhan Yangtze River Ferry, Pearl River Passenger Ferry, and Shanghai Anji-Huangpu Ferry are implementing pure electric demonstration ship projects; large-scale several thousand tons Class bulk carriers are also exploring oil-electric hybrid new energy ship projects.
The trend of ship electrification, on the one hand, comes from the rising pressure of energy saving and emission reduction in the shipping industry. The state’s control of pollution emissions from ships is becoming more and more strict, and the exploration of new energy in the shipping industry has begun to speed up; on the other hand, in new energy Driven by the development of the automobile industry, the technology of lithium batteries has been continuously improved and the cost has been reduced, which is also of great significance for the extension of the application of lithium batteries in the field of ships.
Gaogong Lithium has learned that at present, marine lithium batteries must pass the qualification certification of China Classification Society (CCS) and its authorized institutions, and CCS only recognizes square lithium iron phosphate. Among them, small-tonnage ships such as short-distance transport ships, sightseeing ships, and ferries in inland rivers and lakes are dominated by pure electric vehicles, while large-tonnage long-distance commercial ships are dominated by oil-electric hybrid technology routes.
There is a consensus in the industry that the electrification of ships, especially pure electric ships, is expected to take the lead in the market for short-distance transport ships, sightseeing ships, and ferries such as inland rivers and inland lakes, and most of them are concentrated in the types of ships within 2,000 tons.
So how much lithium battery demand will ship electrification bring, what are the layout of domestic battery companies and the industry bottlenecks they face?
170GWh blue ocean market
Because there are many application scenarios for classification of inland lakes and inland river ships, and most of them are concentrated in small tonnage and short distance transportation and sightseeing ships. The industry view is that this market will become a breakthrough in the electrification of ships, and it is expected to achieve a 60% electrification replacement rate.
Relevant data show that there are about 128,300 ships in inland rivers and lakes in China, with 219 million tons. According to the 60% electrification ratio, the corresponding electric ships are 77,000 ships and 131 million tons. According to the calculation that the electric ship needs 1.3KWh of lithium battery per ton, the corresponding lithium battery demand is 170GWh.
The main reason for the acceleration of ship electrification is that electric ships can meet the development needs of the shipping industry for green, energy saving and emission reduction.
It is understood that the emissions when the ship is in the optimal cruising state are controllable, but when the ship is in the low-speed sailing in and out of the port and the berthing state, it belongs to the non-optimal combustion condition or high-emission condition, and the resulting harmful gases , particulate matter and noise pollution are becoming more and more serious, and also have a serious impact on the water ecological environment.
In addition, the advantages of electric ships in the comprehensive cost of 100 kilometers are also significantly better than those of diesel-powered ships and natural gas ships. Among them, the comprehensive cost of electric ships per 100 kilometers is 3,272 yuan/100 kilometers; diesel-powered ships are 4,320 yuan/100 kilometers; natural gas ships are 4,440 yuan/100 kilometers.
As a representative of the promotion of electric ships, Wuhan Tourism Development Investment Group stated that at present, all the cruise ships in Wuhan East Lake have achieved all-electric propulsion systems.
At the same time, due to the simple structure, few rotating parts, and reliable operation of electric ships, the maintenance cost is low, and the operating cost is 30% more energy-efficient than ordinary commercial ships of the same type. Therefore, electric ships are considered to be an important trend in the current development of green ships.
