LG and Samsung develop EV batteries without cobalt

10. February 2022

South Korean battery manufacturers LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are working on EV batteries without cobalt, according to Business Korea. Competitor SK On, on the other hand, is considering producing iron-phosphate batteries. In this context, Tesla recently announced that it would equip its affordable models with iron-phosphate batteries in the future. Which means, in turn, that more batteries from Chinese manufacturers will be installed for this case. In a statement, LG Energy Solution said that although iron-phosphate batteries are cheap, they have disadvantages in terms of weight, energy density and range. Instead, it is working on alternative low-cost batteries that do not require expensive materials such as cobalt. Materials and production equipment for batteries are among the product categories that largely require KC certification for import and market approval for Korea.

 

 

Currently, iron-phosphate batteries for EVs are mainly produced by Chinese companies such as CATL and BYD. South Korean manufacturers, on the other hand, rely on the relatively expensive nickel-cobalt-manganese batteries. Samsung SDI said in a statement that it would not develop iron-phosphate batteries and would instead look into other technologies that do not require cobalt, like LG Energy Solution. In contrast, SK On announced in early October that it may manufacture iron-phosphate batteries.

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