Samsung SDI's latest EV battery tech affirms 600-mile range, 20-yr lifespan

Samsung SDI recently unveiled its latest EV battery technology featuring advanced solid-state batteries (SSBs) that promises to redefine battery performance and practicality in electric car applications. The battery packs have already reached vehicle OEMs for evaluation, the company has said. 

The company's oxide solid-state battery technology boasts an impressive energy density of 500 Wh/kg, about twice the 270 Wh/kg density of the mainstream battery packs available for automotive application at present. Improved energy density of the battery could potentially push up the vehicle's driving range. 

More importantly, the battery tech affirms an average driving range of 600 miles (almost 1,000 kms), with rapid charging in just 9 minutes, and support a lifespan of 20 years. Samsung also claims that these battery packs are likely to be smaller, lighter, and safer than the lithium-ion batteries available on the market for EV use at present. 

At the recently held SNE Battery Day 2024 expo in Seoul, South Korea, the company announced that its pilot solid-state battery production plant is now fully operational. Mass production of these batteries is expected to commence from 2027 onwards. 

The battery maker's latest technology is in sync with the global industry's trajectory towards battery cells with higher energy density and longer lifespan, often dubbed as the 'million-mile' battery for electric vehicles. 

Further, Samsung SDI has also vowed to develop more affordable lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and cobalt-free batteries, alongside SSBs, and embrace dry electrode production method to reduce costs. 

"We will not only match the price in the popular and entry-level segments, but also mass produce products that can be rapidly charged in 9 minutes by 2026," the company said, at the SNE Battery Day 2024.