Korean companies such as LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation are leading the EV battery market and changing the battery’standard’. In the past, the proportion of square and cylindrical batteries, which were frequently used for electric vehicle batteries, has decreased, and the proportion of pouch types that Korean companies have strong points has increased significantly.
According to SNE Research on the 15th, world electric vehicle battery usage last year was 144GWh, up 22% from the previous year. Among them, the pouch type has more than doubled from the previous year to 40GWh. Accordingly, the share of the entire battery market has risen from 16% to 27.8%.
On the other hand, the proportion of prismatic batteries dropped from 56.8% to 49.2%. The proportion of cylindrical batteries also decreased from 27.1% to 23%. The standard for electric vehicle batteries is gradually moving from square and cylindrical to pouch.
This change originated from the advancement of Korean battery makers. The reason why prismatic batteries are used the most is that most of the local electric car makers in China, the world’s largest electric car market, are using prismatic shapes. Chinese battery makers such as CATL BYD mainly produce prismatic batteries. Although Tesla is adopting the cylinder, other companies have been reluctant to use it. It was judged that cylinders used in vacuum cleaners, power tools, and electric bicycles were not suitable for electric vehicle batteries.
As global automakers such as Hyundai Motors, Volkswagen, GM Ford, etc. entered the electric vehicle market, pouch-type batteries began to gain attention. They are receiving a large number of pouch-type batteries from Korean companies such as LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation. The pouch type has high space utilization and is suitable for large capacity.
An industry insider said, “If major automakers come up with electric vehicle models one after another against Tesla, the pouch-type battery market will lead the way in the future.”
Reporter Ahn Jae-kwang [email protected]
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