- SK On claims to have an advantage with the pouch cell format, which can also be tweaked to accommodate solid-state tech.
- The company says advancements in solid-state batteries may help it beat Chinese companies.
- It currently supplies batteries to Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Volkswagen and Hyundai, as per Korea’s SNE Research.
You’re going to hear a lot about solid-state batteries this decade, long before you see them in an electric car you can actually drive. As frustrating as that sounds, groundbreaking battery tech takes years, sometimes decades, to move from lab to showroom.
But when it arrives, it could reshape the auto industry. South Korea’s SK On thinks that day will come.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, SK On’s research and development chief Park Kisoo struck an optimistic tone. “When the world of solid-state batteries arrives, it will definitely be first applied in pouch-type cells in which we already have a technological edge,” he said. “That could be a weapon that can help us beat China,” he added.
Automakers are aggressively chasing solid-state batteries, which replace the liquid electrolyte in traditional lithium-ion packs with a solid electrolyte. The solid electrolyte can be made from polymer, sulfides, oxides, or ceramic-type materials. On paper, the gains are compelling. Solid-state EV batteries promise higher energy density, faster charging, longer lifespan and vastly improved thermal stability.
But SK On faces stiff competition. Chinese battery makers already lead in semi-solid-state technology, which battery experts consider as the bridge to all solid-state batteries (ASSBs). Nio EVs with semi-solid packs are already on Chinese roads. Last week, MG Motor said it will be the first automaker to put a semi-solid-state battery into an affordable, mass-market EV—the MG4.
Western carmakers are moving in as well. Mercedes-Benz has fitted U.S. startup Factorial’s semi-solid-state pack into an EQS sedan for testing. Stellantis plans to install a prototype Dodge Charger Daytona EV with a Factorial battery next year. BMW appears to be slightly ahead of the pack. It demonstrated an all-solid-state battery in an i7 test mule in Germany back in May.
BlueOval SK Battery Factory in Tennessee.
Photo by: SK On
Before any of these models enter the market, experts say there’s plenty of room for today’s lithium-ion cells to improve. SK On is working on improved thermal management through immersion cooling, a technology it plans to use not just in EVs, but also for its customers building AI data centers and energy storage systems.
The company’s sizable manufacturing footprint means it can scale those upgrades globally. In the final days of the Biden administration, the U.S. approved a $9.6 billion loan to BlueOval SK, a joint venture between Ford and SK On, to build three massive battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky. It’s the largest loan ever awarded through the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program, Reuters said.
Solid-state tech may still be years away, but with a massive war chest, a growing factory network and major automakers as customers, the company is positioning itself to be ready if and when the breakthrough finally arrives.
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