Korean Media: The Battle for the Next-Generation Battery Between China and South Korea, Who Will Win?

On March 11, the Korean media "Herald Economic" published an article stating that South Korea and China, as two major players in the global battery market, are intensifying their competition in the next-generation battery market. China is committed to maintaining a technological lead in sodium-ion batteries, which are cost-competitive, while South Korea focuses on solid-state batteries that combine high energy density and safety.

According to industry sources, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) is expanding the application scope of sodium-ion batteries, covering areas such as passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and energy storage systems (ESS), and will begin full commercialization this year. CATL launched its second-generation sodium-ion battery, Naxtra, in April of last year.

BYD is also increasing its investment in sodium-ion batteries to ensure cost competitiveness. BYD is investing about 10 billion yuan in building a dedicated factory with an annual capacity of 30 GWh in China, aiming to start production within the year.

Sodium batteries use sodium instead of lithium. Unlike lithium, which is limited to specific regions, sodium is abundant worldwide, offering advantages in raw material supply stability and price competitiveness. Sodium reserves are more than 1000 times those of lithium.

Lithium and sodium have similar chemical properties, so they are easily compatible with other materials and production processes. In addition, sodium does not react with aluminum, so it can use low-cost aluminum foil instead of copper foil, further reducing manufacturing costs. Moreover, lithium can maintain high performance even in low-temperature environments.

Although low energy density is considered the main weakness of sodium batteries, it is reported that CATL has developed technology to increase the energy density of sodium batteries to as high as 175 Wh/kg. This exceeds the average energy density of lithium iron phosphate batteries (160 Wh/kg).

South Korea's battery industry is accelerating the development of solid-state batteries by leveraging its own technological advantages. Solid-state batteries replace liquid electrolytes with solid electrolytes, reducing the risk of fire and explosion caused by external impacts. In addition, more active materials can be filled at the separator position, thus achieving higher energy density. Solid-state batteries are also called "dream batteries," with a range of up to 1000 kilometers.

However, the inherent characteristics of solid electrolytes bring some technical challenges, such as slow lithium ion movement leading to reduced output power, and large interfacial resistance between active materials and solid electrolytes leading to shortened battery life. The research and development of solid-state batteries focuses on overcoming these limitations.

In South Korea's three major battery manufacturers, Samsung SDI has the most advanced mass production roadmap for solid-state batteries. Samsung SDI established a pilot production line in 2023 and began trial production at the end of the same year, conducting sample evaluations with multiple customers. In October last year, it signed a business agreement with BMW for the development and testing of vehicles.

The application potential of solid-state batteries is expanding from electric vehicles to fields such as robotics, and people are currently discussing this possibility. Robots need to achieve high safety and high power output within limited space, making solid-state batteries a suitable choice. Samsung SDI has also announced that it is exploring potential applications with multiple robotics companies.

LG Energy Solutions plans to commercialize graphite-based solid-state batteries for electric vehicles by 2029 and commercialize negative electrode-free batteries for humanoid robots by 2030. SK On is building a test factory at the Daejeon Future Technology Research Institute and continues to conduct technical development, aiming to commercialize sulfide batteries by 2029.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859351880760320/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.