Differing Opinions
LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI differed on a timeline for commercializing all-solid-state batteries which are considered to be the next generation of batteries. While LG Energy Solution believed that it was difficult to commercialize all-solid-state batteries even by 2030, Samsung SDI made it clear that it would mass-produce them starting from 2027.
“All-solid-state batteries can hardly have price competitiveness compared to lithium-ion batteries,” said Jang Hak-jin, head of LG Energy Solution's Technology Intelligence (TI) Strategy Team at the Next Generation Battery Seminar (NGBS 2023) held at the Korea Science & Technology Center in Seoul on April 12. “Japanese companies have been the most active in developing all-solid-state batteries but have delayed their mass production. Next-generation batteries, such as all-solid-state batteries, will be difficult to commercialize even in 2030. I think that lithium-ion batteries will lead the formation of the battery market by 2030.”
“All-solid-state batteries are safe and light enough to reduce compact electric car weight by nine percent compared to those powered by high-nickel batteries,” said Ahn Ji-woo, head of Samsung SDI’s Next Generation Product Planning Group for medium and large-sized batteries. “We at Samsung SDI will complete the development of medium and large-sized all-solid-state battery technology in 2025 and have a mass production system for all-solid-state batteries in 2027.” Since March last year, Samsung SDI has been building an all-solid-state battery pilot production line, dubbed the S Line, at its research center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Once the line is completed in the first half of this year, it will produce samples beginning in the second half.
The officials from the two Korean battery makers agreed on high costs in producing and developing all-solid-state batteries, but showed different views on the commercialization of them. However, LG Energy Solution is also currently developing all-solid-state batteries and aims to commercialize them after 2030.
Jang emphasized that a current trend in the battery and electric vehicle industry is that innovation to reduce costs is becoming more important. “One hundred years ago, Ford reshaped the automotive market when it introduced the Model T which cut the price of a vehicle by a quarter," Jang said. “Within 20 years of the release of the Model T, the number of automakers dropped from 265 to 44," Jang said. "Tesla's recent price-cutting strategy also seems to be intended to reshape the market. Batteries will really matter most in lowering the prices of electric vehicles. I think Korean battery companies should be able to lead this trend through process innovation.”
“Global electric vehicle sales in 2035 will be about 80 million, and demand for electric vehicle batteries will also grow from 687 GWh in 2023 to 5.3 TWh in 2035,” said Oh Ik-hwan, vice president of SNE Research, said in a presentation at the seminar. “The electric vehicle battery market is expected to grow to US$616 billion [about 815 trillion won] by 2035. This is about five times higher than a forecast of US$121 billion for 2023.”