Pledging to Excel CATL in CTP Batteries
LG Energy Solution plans to mass-produce pouch-type batteries using a cell-to-pack (CTP) approach from 2025.
Earlier, CATL announced that it would apply CTP technology to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries next year to produce a product that can power an electric vehicle to run 1,000 km on a single charge. LFP batteries have a lower energy density than pouch-type batteries.
Accordingly, competition is expected to intensify between Korean and Chinese battery makers over EV battery mileage.
LG Energy Solution announced at KABC 2022 held on Sept. 21 that it has almost completed the development of CTP technology.
CTP technology removes modules to secure more space for battery cells. Typically, cells occupy about 20 percent of the space in a pack, but LG Energy Solution is seeking to increase the space taken up by cells to 50 percent to 70 percent by removing modules.
LG Energy Solutions is the industry's first company to apply CTP technology to high-nickel pouch-type batteries. It has set the mass production target year at 2025. Industry insiders believe that commercialization may come earlier than expected because CTP is an innovation in process technology rather than in battery materials.
Meanwhile, CATL recently announced that it will mass-produce CTP3.0 Qilin batteries, which can power an electric vehicle to travel 1,000 km on a single charge, beginning from 2023. BYD, a Chinese company, is also continuously increasing mileage with blade batteries, which are produced by applying CTP technology to LFP battery cells.