South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI claims to have developed lithium-ion technology that pushes the boundaries of what electric vehicles can do.
The prismatic cell will help EVs reach a 600km (372miles) driving range, or 500km (310miles) on a single 20 minute charge (taking the battery up to 80% capacity), according to the company.
However, the company is keeping quiet about further details of the cell, other than its claimed EV prowess and lithium-ion chemistry.
The firm’s president and CEO Namseong Cho unveiled the new technology at the North American International Auto Show on January 9 in the US.
Mass production of the new technology is set for 2021.
Samsung SDI also introduced an ‘integrated battery module’ using 21700 cylindrical cell— a similar format to the ones Tesla began manufacturing at its Gigafactory earlier this year.
Samsung claims the module weighs 10% less than conventionally produced models (although no information of specifics have been released), despite squeezing in 24 cells, giving it a capacity of between 6-8kWh.
The use of cylindrical cells would be a bold new move for the firm, which has historically provided pouch and prismatic cells for EV use.
The firm’s race to stay ahead of the lithium-ion game was bolstered last September when it began construction of a lithium-ion plant in Hungary to establish a triangular production structure along with existing plants in Ulsan, Korea and Xian, China.
