Recently, the "sky high maintenance" of power batteries has once again sparked heated discussions among new energy vehicle users.

Multiple media outlets have reported that when new energy vehicles need to replace their power batteries, the cost of replacing the batteries is at least 50% of the new car's landed price, causing confusion and dissatisfaction among new energy vehicle owners. "Driving a tram saves you all fuel costs," and "new energy vehicles are affordable but cannot be repaired.

Related reports indicate that from 2022 onwards, news of sky high maintenance prices has become commonplace, and 2022 is the year when the global new energy vehicle market experiences explosive growth and sales exceed the 10 million mark.

Since 2022, the comparison between the "sky high maintenance" in the future market and the "low electricity to oil ratio" in the front end clearly has a dual stimulus for consumers.

With the maturity of power battery technology, the cost of power batteries has been significantly reduced and the overall vehicle price has been greatly lowered. At the same time, the innovative development of fast charging technology and battery swapping technology further alleviates consumers' energy replenishment anxiety, and after-sales issues have become another key factor affecting consumers' purchasing decisions.

This also sends a big signal that while the penetration of electrification is rapidly advancing on the product side, the development of aftermarket maintenance that matches new energy vehicles has fallen behind, especially in the aftermarket maintenance of power batteries. The automotive aftermarket also urgently needs a deeper transformation towards electrification.

In this context, battery companies have entered the aftermarket and become new players in the automotive aftermarket.

The replacement price of power batteries accounts for over 50% of the new car's selling price

It is reported that currently common new energy brands on the market, mainstream A-B level cars, need to spend 80000 to 150000 yuan to replace a battery pack (40 degree to 100 degree electricity), which is basically about 50% of the new car's landing price.

If A0 level cars involve battery replacement, the maintenance cost accounts for a higher proportion of the new car price. A car owner shared that by the end of 2023, the A0 level battery pack will be replaced. The repair team stated that the purchase price of the new battery pack is about 30000 yuan, plus other expenses totaling 40000 yuan. With an additional budget, they can buy another new car.

For the first batch of users of new energy vehicles, the problem of changing packages is not just a significant expense.

Due to the replacement of vehicle models and the iteration of power battery technology, if the batteries used are discontinued, even if the batteries are replaced, they are likely to be inventory from 1-2 years ago. However, due to the calendar life of lithium batteries, from the date of battery production until the significant decline in battery performance, it is inevitable that it will bring a bad user experience to new energy vehicle owners.

The above phenomena are all new troubles for car owners in the era of new energy vehicles, exposing the problem of an unhealthy aftermarket for new energy vehicles.

In the automotive aftermarket, the transition to electrification has fallen behind

It must be acknowledged that even though the current penetration rate of electrification is growing rapidly, the aftermarket for new energy vehicles is still a relatively new market.

According to data released by the Ministry of Public Security on July 8, 2024, as of the end of June 2024, the number of domestic fuel vehicles had reached 345 million; The number of domestic new energy vehicles (including pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, etc.) has reached 24.72 million.

From the perspective of ownership, the gasoline car market is still huge, especially dominating the aftermarket. Compared to gasoline vehicles, new energy vehicles have significant differences in maintenance technology, after-sales maintenance, after-sales network and channels.

Firstly, differences in maintenance techniques are currently the main reason for the high maintenance costs of new energy vehicles. At present, the reserve of supporting professional and technical talents in the aftermarket is far less than that of the technical talents in the era of fuel vehicles. At present, new energy vehicle battery packs mostly use CTP high integration technology, which makes it difficult to replace only a single battery cell without replacing the entire pack.

In terms of after-sales network and channels, due to the relatively small ownership of new energy vehicles, the corresponding maintenance service network is not as mature as that of fuel vehicles. Many new energy vehicle brands offer their own official repair centers, but the coverage and density of these centers are usually not as good as the repair network of traditional fuel vehicles.

In terms of maintenance, it is necessary to pay more attention to battery status monitoring and whole vehicle circuit inspection in the maintenance of new energy vehicles to ensure safety.

With the deepening of electrification transformation, the post market logic of the fuel vehicle era cannot be fully transplanted into new energy vehicles, especially the talent, technology, and services related to power battery matching cannot keep up with the demands of new energy vehicle owners.

Battery companies enter the market after entering the market

It is natural for battery companies that have seen various pain points in the aftermarket of new energy vehicles to enter the market and quickly fill the gap in the aftermarket with their advantages in battery technology and talent.

Ningde Times, which took the lead in laying out the aftermarket, is rapidly improving its after-sales system. The company has launched the "Ningjia Service" aftermarket service brand and has opened its first five-star direct operated experience center. In addition, CATL also plans to open more direct operated experience centers in other first tier cities and recruit partners from multiple cities to open franchise service stores. It has established a huge service network nationwide.

As of October, CATL has opened 668 domestic after-sales service stations and 219 overseas after-sales service stations.

Ningjia Services not only provides routine services such as battery basic maintenance, repair and testing, but also covers diversified business sectors such as battery recycling and vehicle trading, and provides personnel training. Ningde Times has also launched the Ningjia Service Mini Program, providing convenient services such as battery health testing, online car doctor consultation, roadside assistance, and product discounts for car owners.

Previously, CATL signed strategic cooperation agreements with well-known companies such as Bosch Automotive Aftermarket to jointly explore the new energy vehicle aftermarket and create a sustainable aftermarket ecosystem.

Yiwei Lithium Energy and Ruipu Lanjun have also launched public recruitment for after-sales service stations this year.

In addition, Ruipu Lanjun GREEN CTP battery pack has made targeted solutions to the problems of difficult after-sales maintenance and high after-sales maintenance costs that currently exist in CTP battery packs on the market. It abandons adhesive fixation and adopts mechanical structure fixation to achieve single cell replacement, making after-sales maintenance easier and lower maintenance costs after sale.

After entering the market, battery companies not only bring advanced battery technology and professional after-sales service, but also effectively solve the pain points of new energy vehicles in after-sales maintenance and improve consumers' user experience.

On the other hand, battery companies have also become an important force in promoting the development and standardization of the new energy vehicle aftermarket, and the new energy vehicle industry chain will be further upgraded.

For battery companies, by laying out after-sales service networks, not only does it provide an additional guarantee for the penetration of new energy vehicles in the after-sales process, accelerate the process of electrification transformation, but it also strengthens the brand of power battery companies in this process, further influencing consumer mentality. It is expected that through this subtle move, the installed market share will be further expanded.