samsung sdi

Samsung and EcoPro prepare to build $100 million lithium-ion cathode materials plant in South Korea

South Korean lithium-ion battery maker Samsung SDI has started investing capital into its joint venture EcoPro EM.

Samsung will contribute 48 billion won ($39 million) of the total investment pot of 120 billion won ($96.9 million) into firm with its partner and fellow Korean firm EcoPro BM, a supplier of electric vehicle battery materials to Samsung, investing the remaining cash.

South Korean

Lithium-ion

samsung sdi

joint venture

EcoPro EM.

Umicore sign deal to supply 80,000 tonnes of lithium-ion cathode materials to Samsung

Battery materials firm Umicore will begin supplying Samsung SDI with around 80,000 metric tonnes of NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) lithium-ion cathode materials next year after signing a multi-year strategic agreement.

The majority of the cathode materials will initially be produced in Korea, with additional volumes supplied from Umicore plants in different regions.

battery materials

umicore

samsung sdi

NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt)

Lithium-ion

cathode materials

Expansion plans lead EU Commission to open investigation into Samsung’s Hungary lithium-ion battery plant

An investigation has been opened into Hungary's €108 million ($120 million) pledge to help fund Samsung SDI’s battery cell production expansion plans in Göd (Hungary), the European Commission announced on 14 October.

The Commission is set to investigate whether the financial support was necessary for Samsung to trigger the expansion plans at its existing plant in Göd, which was completed in 2017.

Volvo inks battery packs alliance with Samsung SDI

Volvo Group president and CEO Martin Lundstedt

Volvo is to jointly develop lithium-ion battery packs for its commercial vehicles under a new partnership with Samsung SDI.

The Sweden-based vehicle manufacturer said the alliance with Samsung would help to “accelerate the speed of development and strengthen the long-term capabilities and assets within electromobility”.

Hungary woos another Asian battery maker

Inzi Controls, a South Korean automotive company, is to build an electric vehicles battery plant in Hungary.

The company will build the plant in the city of Komárom, backed by a HUF1.6 billion (US$5.6 million) grant from Hungary’s government, foreign affairs and trade minister Peter Szijjarto (pictured) confirmed.

Tesvolt races to claim European gigafactory first

German lithium battery storage firm Tesvolt says it is in pole position to open Europe’s first battery storage gigafactory, as it prepares to launch expanded manufacturing operations in Germany.

Tesvolt did not announce a date for completing production lines at its new Lutherstadt Wittenberg facility, but said the plant will have an eventual annual production capacity of more than 1GWh and an initial 12,000m² of floor space will be available next month— when production at an existing adjacent facility will switch to the new plant.

Tesvolt

prismatic lithium battery cells

Second Korean collaboration for BMZ Group

BMZ's Sven Bauer and Samsung SDI's Michael Son at the contract signing

Germany’s BMZ Group and South Korea’s Samsung SDI have entered a long-term cooperation agreement to jointly promote the expansion of electromobile applications in the European market.

Karlstein-based BMZ said Samsung SDI, “one of the world's largest cell manufacturers, will rely in the future on BMZ as system supplier for battery systems, integration and software”.

enhanced lithium nickel oxide battery materials

Battery giants back Korean R&D investment fund

Three South Korean battery giants have signed up to an agreement to support the launch of a government-backed “next-generation batteries investment fund”.

Samsung SDI, LG Chem and SK Innovation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support the KRW1 billion (US$885,000) fund, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) said.

The signing comes a year after South Korea’s government said it would support plans to expand domestic battery production and challenge China’s increasing dominance of the global market.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

Doosan follows Korean battery firms to Hungary with copper foil plant

The Doosan Corporation has become the latest Korean player beating a path to Hungary to compete for a slice of Europe’s electric vehicle battery components business.

The company is to start building a battery-grade copper foil manufacturing plant in Tatabánya, northwestern Hungary this year— and begin producing 50,000 tons of the material annually from mid-2019.