LG Chem Achieves First Domestic High-Altitude Flight with Lithium-Sulfur Battery

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] LG Chem has succeeded in the highest altitude flight test of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using next-generation batteries for the first time in Korea.

On the 10th, LG Chem announced that it successfully conducted a flight test in the stratosphere by equipping a lithium-sulfur battery on the high-altitude long-endurance solar-powered UAV (EAV-3) developed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.

The EAV-3 is a small aircraft capable of flying for extended periods at altitudes above 12 km in the stratosphere using solar energy and batteries. It charges via solar panels on its wings, flying during the day powered by solar cells and battery power, and at night using the power stored in the battery during the day. The wingspan of the EAV-3 is 20 meters, and its fuselage length is 9 meters.

On the 30th of last month, LG Chem installed a lithium-sulfur battery on the EAV-3 at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Goheung Aeronautical Center and conducted a flight test for about 13 hours from 8:36 AM to 9:47 PM.

This is the first time in Korea that a test has been conducted using a lithium-sulfur battery. Notably, during this flight test, the EAV-3 flew at an unprecedented altitude of 22 km for a domestic unmanned aircraft, setting the highest altitude flight record in the stratosphere for UAVs in Korea.

Additionally, out of the total 13 hours of flight, it flew stably for 7 hours in the stratosphere at altitudes between 12 and 22 km, where conventional aircraft cannot operate.

This flight test is significant in that it confirmed the stable charge-discharge performance of the next-generation lithium-sulfur battery even under the extreme conditions of the stratosphere, where temperatures drop to minus 70 degrees Celsius and atmospheric pressure is about 1/25th of that at ground level, close to a vacuum.

The lithium-sulfur battery is one of the next-generation batteries expected to replace lithium-ion batteries. It uses lightweight materials such as sulfur-carbon composites for the cathode and lithium metal for the anode, resulting in an energy density per weight that is more than 1.5 times higher than that of conventional lithium-ion batteries.

Its advantages include being lighter than existing lithium-ion batteries and not using rare metals, which makes it highly cost-competitive. It is also considered a key component that will determine the performance of future transportation means such as electric vehicles, long-endurance drones, and personal aircraft, leading to fierce global competition for its development.

LG Chem’s Future Technology Research Center’s Innovative Battery Project Team conducted research on lithium-sulfur batteries for one and a half years, replicating extreme environments similar to the stratosphere with low temperatures and pressures, which enabled the successful completion of the flight test.

LG Chem plans to produce additional lithium-sulfur battery prototypes to demonstrate long-endurance flights lasting several days. Alongside this, it aims to mass-produce lithium-sulfur batteries with energy densities more than twice that of current lithium-ion batteries after 2025.

LG Chem CTO President Noh Ki-soo said, "Through this flight test, we have demonstrated world-class technological capabilities in the field of next-generation batteries with high energy density," adding, "We will focus our research and development on next-generation batteries to further strengthen our leadership in the global market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.