'18-Minute Fast Charging' SK On SF Battery Wins InterBattery Top Innovation Award

by Jeong Donghoon

Published 05 Mar.2024 09:17(KST)

Energy Density and Fast Charging Both Achieved

Advanced SF Battery by SK On. Photo by SK On

SK On received the 'Best Fast Charger Innovation Award' at the '2024 InterBattery Awards' for its advanced SF (Super Fast) battery featuring enhanced rapid charging performance.

SK On announced on the 5th that it will receive the award at the InterBattery Awards ceremony held on the 6th at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, during the InterBattery exhibition.

The advanced SF battery is an innovative product that increases energy density by 9% compared to the existing SF battery while maintaining rapid charging time. If the energy density is the same, the rapid charging performance is improved by about 18% compared to the existing SF battery. Typically, a 10% increase in energy density results in a 20% increase in rapid charging time.

This battery is installed in the Kia EV9. It can travel up to 501 km on a single charge. SK On will exhibit the battery and the actual vehicle at this event. The battery can also be seen at the special exhibition hall of the InterBattery Awards.

In 2021, SK On unveiled the SF battery capable of charging from 10% to 80% of cell capacity in 18 minutes. It is a high-nickel battery with 83% nickel content. It can travel over 400 km on a single charge. At the time, it was the fastest charging speed among commercialized batteries and was recognized for its technology with awards such as the CES 2023 Best Innovation Award. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 equipped with this battery were selected as 'Car of the Year' at various award ceremonies, including the prestigious '2022 World Car Awards (WCA)'.

The advanced SF battery is the result of SK On’s continuous improvement of its proprietary rapid charging technology. Battery charging speed is determined by the distance and speed of lithium-ion movement. When energy density is high, anode resistance increases during charging, slowing lithium-ion movement and lengthening charging time. SK On lowered anode resistance through a special coating process and shortened lithium-ion movement paths by applying anode alignment technology. Additionally, by implementing an optimized rapid charging protocol with analytical technology that maximizes battery charging speed, SK On is evaluated to have successfully achieved both high energy density and rapid charging performance.