[와이즈경제=황인홍기자] Volkswagen, the world’s largest automaker, held Power Day, an event that unveils its electric vehicle battery strategy direction, and announced the battery cell, system, and charging technology roadmap.
According to Hi Investment & Securities on the 16th, the core contents are the integration of battery cells and internalization of battery cells, establishment of the battery circulation system (the closed loop), and expansion of the infrastructure of fast charging stations in major countries.
Researcher Jung Seok Jung of Hi Investment & Securities predicted that “the impact on domestic battery makers will be inevitable due to the mid- to long-term strategic changes such as battery integration and internalization, which Volkswagen revealed through Power Day.”
“In particular, it will be more embarrassing news for LG Energy Solutions and SK Innovation, which produce pouch-type batteries, excluding Samsung SDI, which is a prismatic battery camp.” On the one hand, the possibility of internalizing Volkswagen’s batteries is the It was predicted from the start of the ICT battery lawsuit.
All three domestic battery makers received large-scale orders for the MEB project, Volkswagen’s electric vehicle platform, in 2018.
However, for the follow-up volume of the MEB project, which was scheduled for bidding in the second half of this year, with the aim of mass production in 2024-2025, it is highly likely that domestic companies’ order volume will decrease than expected.
Researcher Jeong said, “In the end, it is necessary to establish new measures that will allow domestic battery makers to further solidify cooperation with major automakers other than Volkswagen and continue to grow.” It has been said that it is necessary to watch whether the mass production yield of is going to enter the stabilization stage within the scheduled period.
On the other hand, researcher Jung said, “As Volkswagen plans to expand its own battery production facilities in Europe, it will be an opportunity factor for domestic material companies that are building production facilities in Europe, and materials and parts suppliers to North Bolt. I can,” he said.
In the mid to long term, even if domestic battery makers experience disruptions in their European plants, Volkswagen intends to internalize battery production capacity. He explained that this is because it is expected to secure higher growth engines through geographical advantages due to the characteristics of rechargeable battery materials that can be larger in scale and commodity.
Domestic material companies building production facilities in Europe include Solus Advanced Materials (copper foil), Dongwha Electric (electrolyte), Soulbrain (electrolyte), Lotte Aluminum (Al electrode), and SK IE Technology (separator). Suppliers of bolt-oriented materials include Dongjin Semichem (CNT conductive material) and nano new material (CNT conductive material).
In particular, as Volkswagen mentions that the silicon anode active material will be expanded, it is highly likely that the CNT conductive material will be used together to compensate for the expansion problem of the silicon anode active material.
Construction status of battery cell and material production facilities in Europe
