US Battery Company Invested by SK, Hyundai, and GM Unveils Next-Generation Product

After Chi Chao, SES CEO, revealed the lithium metal battery 'Apollo' currently under development for the first time at the Battery World online event on the 4th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Battery development company SES (formerly SolidEnergy Systems) unveiled on the 4th the largest capacity lithium metal battery among those it has introduced so far in South Korea. Lithium metal batteries use metal instead of graphite in the anode, one of the core materials, to increase energy density, and are considered one of the next-generation battery technologies.

According to the specifications SES revealed on this day, the new battery named Apollo has a capacity of 107Ah (ampere-hours). Ah is a unit obtained by multiplying current by time, indicating the amount of current flowing per hour. This is the first time a lithium metal battery with over 100Ah capacity has been publicly disclosed to the general public. The weight is 0.982 kg, and the energy density is about 416 Wh/kg and 935 Wh/L. The company stated that this is approximately 40% higher than the currently widely used lithium-ion batteries.

Chi Chao Hu, CEO of SES, said, "We will continuously collaborate with complete vehicle partners to optimize and commercialize this battery," adding, "I am confident that we will be the first to commercialize next-generation lithium metal batteries."

According to the company, using liquid electrolytes results in lower energy density compared to lithium metal methods, and the development speed of all-solid-state batteries, considered next-generation battery technology, is slow. The company has adopted a ‘hybrid’ method combining liquid and solid electrolytes. He said, "Batteries must provide high energy density across a wide range of temperatures and power densities," and added, "All-solid-state batteries can never achieve the performance level of our hybrid lithium metal batteries."

The company also revealed that it is currently developing the large vehicle battery cell Apollo, a new material development platform (Hermes), and AI-based safety software (Avatar). It currently has joint development agreements (JDA) with General Motors (GM) in the U.S. and Hyundai Motor Company and Kia to develop lithium metal batteries. Jointly developed prototypes are scheduled to be unveiled next year, with commercialization targeted for 2025.

SK also highly values the company’s battery development technology and invested in 2018, the earliest among Korean companies, becoming a major shareholder. Kim Yang-taek, head of SK㈜ Advanced Materials Investment Center, said, "We are currently strengthening investments in advanced materials to establish the electric vehicle battery material value chain," adding, "We will seek business cooperation aligned with SES’s commercialization schedule, as it leads next-generation battery development."

The lithium metal battery factory under construction in Shanghai, China, with a scale of 300,000 ft², is scheduled for completion in 2023. It is expected to produce 1 GWh annually, making it one of the largest in the world.

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