Ford Partner SK Innovation plans to deliver solid-state batteries for EVs two years ahead of rivals

[Harley Lover]

Interesting development involving Ford, its battery partner, and and Solid State, of which Ford is a partner and also development partner:

SK Innovation Co. plans to move two years or more ahead of its rivals and deliver solid-state batteries by 2025, according to the head of battery research at the South Korean company.

SK Innovation plans to use a nickel-cobalt-manganese cathode and anode based on silicon or graphite for its solid-state batteries by 2025 and also seeks to deliver one with a lithium-metal anode by 2030, said Seongjun Lee, head of the department overseeing battery research.

LG Energy Solution, the world's second-largest lithium ion battery maker, has said it aims to commercialize solid-state batteries between 2027 and 2030. Another Korean player, Samsung SDI Co., is forecast to start mass-producing the batteries in 2027, according to BloombergNEF.

SK Innovation is teaming up with U.S.-based Solid Power Inc. to develop and produce solid-state batteries. As part of the agreement with Solid Power, which is backed by Ford Motor Co. and BMW AG, SK Innovation will invest $30 million for a stake in the Colorado-based company, which plans to go public via a reverse merger. "Why the relationship with SK is so valuable to us is that our business model doesn't have us being a cell producer in this automotive industry at scale," Solid Power CEO Douglas Campbell said last month.

SK Innovation chose Solid Power as a partner because its quality of sulfide electrolyte might enable the Korean company to switch some of its operation lines from lithium ion batteries to solid state, Lee said. The company aims to use 60 to 70 percent of its production lines for solid-state batteries in the future.

"SK Group has a reputation of good investment strategy, especially in M&A," said Hyun-Su Kim, a fund manager at Seoul-based IBK Asset Management. "If SK invests on something, you need to look at it even if the size is small."

Solid State battery predictions seem to get floated daily, but this one is interesting because it has the whiff of reality due to the players, and of course because it involves Ford. Hopefully this timeline is kept, which would put Ford in a position to possibly deploy the technology in both new plant locations in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Gotta love the nice shot at Tesla and GM:

"We have never caused fires with our batteries and we have the world's best technology for high-nickel batteries," Lee said in an interview Oct. 28 at the company's campus in Daejeon, south of Seoul.

LOL

 

https://www.autonews.com/mobility-report/sk-innovation-co-targets-new-ev-battery-technology-two-years-ahead-competitors

[rperez817]

2 hours ago, Harley Lover said:

Gotta love the nice shot at Tesla and GM:

"We have never caused fires with our batteries and we have the world's best technology for high-nickel batteries," Lee said in an interview Oct. 28 at the company's campus in Daejeon, south of Seoul.

 

That shot was actually at LG Energy Solution, which earlier this year settled a lawsuit with SK Innovation and was at the center of battery fires involving BEV from GM, Hyundai, and other automakers. But it's an amusing and true statement nonetheless from the SK Innovation media and PR team. ?

Edited November 17, 2021 by rperez817

[llinthicum1]

Solid state batteries would be a game changer.  More power, longer range, shorter charging times, lighter weight, and less chance to catch on fire.  Could be too good to be true.  The issue has always been with the mass production and the cost.   This news could be break thru.  I have read that Toyota is also invested in solid state batteries as well. 

[justins]

Combine this with the Purdue / Ford charging technology, and I think Ford are looking strong, if only from a talk perspective right now. I really hope they end up walking the walk.