LG Energy Solution, the South-Korean battery and energy storage giant, is planning a new bipolar battery solution, according to Korea’s TheElec news site.
LGES plans to adopt bipolar on lithium-sulphur batteries then expand their application from electric vehicles (EVs) to urban air mobility vehicles. It reported LGES is planning to build a research and development line at their laboratory at Daejeon in the first quarter and a pilot production line at its plant in Ochang within a year.
According to the report, the LGES technology connects different electrodes in series, ensuring unidirectional current flow for high voltage, while simplifying the cell structure to improve space utilisation and efficiency.
In a bipolar battery, the top and bottom of the current collector are comprised of anode and cathode – the current collector for each cell is shared by the anode and the cathode. In a monopolar battery both sides of the current collector are comprised of the same electrode.
A bipolar battery offers higher energy density, lower weight and is smaller.
In its annual report for 2024, the company reported ₩25.6 trillion ($2 billion) in consolidated revenue and ₩575.4 billion ($400 million) in operating profit, year-on-year decreases of 24% and 73% respectively.