Volkswagen’s battery perception changes… LG·SK critical hit vs Chinese CATL beneficiary

Volkswagen electric car’model ID. 4′ [사진=로이터 연합뉴스]

Volkswagen announced that it will increase the proportion of electric vehicles with prismatic batteries to 80% by 2030. LG, a domestic battery maker that focuses on pouch type(91,400 -0.22%)Energy Solution and SK Innovation(217,000 -5.03%)There is a prospect mixed with concerns that this damage may be caused.

According to the automaker industry on the 16th, Volkswagen held a’Power Day’ on the 15th (local time) to introduce the battery strategy. At this meeting, the company announced a plan to use prismatic batteries in 80% of electric vehicles produced in 2030 by applying new prismatic batteries from 2023.

Batteries for electric vehicles are divided into cylinders, pouch types, and squares according to their shape. LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation are mainly pouch-type batteries. China CATL and Samsung SDI(672,000 -2.04%)Is a prismatic battery, and Japan’s Panasonic focuses on cylindrical batteries.

To this end, Volkswagen plans to secure a total production capacity of 240GWh by establishing a total of six secondary battery factories in Europe. Sweden, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic were mentioned as investment prospects. It is also expanding cooperation with Swedish battery company North Bolt, which is operating a joint venture. Northvolt’s flagship battery is also square.

Volkswagen Power Day [사진=파워데이 유튜브 생방송 캡처]

This decision is likely to be a bad thing for LG Energy Solutions and SK Innovation, which have been supplying pouch-type batteries to Volkswagen so far.

In the case of the MEB platform, Volkswagen’s popular brand electric vehicle platform, LG Energy Solutions is known as the largest supplier in Europe and SK Innovation as the second largest supplier.

LG Energy Solution has been supplying pouch-type batteries to Volkswagen, but in addition to pouch-type, it is producing and supplying cylindrical batteries to various customers such as Tesla and emerging electric vehicle companies.

On the other hand, it is observed that SK Innovation only makes pouch-type battery products and has a high dependence on Volkswagen in the US business, which will have a greater impact.

On the other hand, CATL in China, which has supplied batteries to Volkswagen with the main focus on the square, is expected to gain reflection and increase its global market share. According to SNE Research, a specialized energy market research firm, CATL has maintained the No. 1 global market share for the fourth consecutive year since 2017.

Meritz Securities reported in the report, “The vehicle life cycle based on the MEB platform is expected to be between 2019 and 2030, and the sales peak is expected to be in 2026.” I will,” he predicted.

An industry insider said, “With Volkswagen’s strategy to focus on prismatic batteries, the relationship with North Volt and CATL, a major prismatic company, will continue, but the competitiveness of LG Energy Solutions and SK Innovation, whose main focus is pouch type, will be relatively reduced. I was concerned.

LG and SK headquarters in Seoul. [사진=연합뉴스]

Reporter Kang Kyung-joo [email protected]

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