No Fire Reported for EVs with SK Innovation Batteries
Battery experts say that a series of Kona EV fires has underlined the safety of SK Innovation's batteries. Not a single fire broke out from Kona EVs loaded with batteries from SK Innovation.
Another Kona EV fire accident occurred on Oct. 17. It is the third Kona EV fire in a month and the 14th Kona EV fire at home and abroad.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport recently blamed battery cells for the Kona EV fires. Kona EVs use batteries from LG Chem and SK Innovation. The Kona EVs that caught fire were loaded with LG Chem batteries.
On the other hand, Kona EVs powered by SK Innovation batteries have thus far reported no fire accidents. Niro EVs of Kia Motors using batteries from SK Innovation have also suffered no fire, either. The Kona EV and the Niro EV are considered twin electric vehicles.
A total of 77,000 Kona EVs have been sold worldwide, of which 65,000 are equipped with LG Chem batteries, according to SNE Research and Hyundai Motor's IR data. The number of electric vehicles equipped with SK Innovation's batteries totaled 50,000 -- 38,000 units of the Niro and 12,000 units of the Kona exported to Europe.
In fact, SK Innovation emphasizes that it has focused on pouch-type batteries and is the only battery maker in the world that has developed a separator, which determines car safety. The company maintains No. 1 position in the segment of high-nickel batteries. It is the first company to develop and mass-produce highly advanced NCM622•811 batteries, and has developed NCM91⁄21⁄2 batteries with volume production slated to start in 2022.
However, LG Chem believes that the cause of the Kona EV fires has yet to be found. "The exact cause of the fires was not determined yet,” LG Chem said when the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced earlier that faulty cell separators in the batteries cased the Kona EV's fires. “A reenactment test jointly conducted with Hyundai Motor did not show that the battery cells with damaged separators were the cause of the fires.
Under these circumstances, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will make a final ruling on Oct. 26 (local time) on a business secret infringement lawsuit between LG Chem and SK Innovation. The ITC was originally scheduled to make the ruling on Oct. 5 but postponed it due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. The ITC judgment is expected to be a watershed in the legal battle between LG Chem and SK Innovation.