Dive Brief:
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Samsung SDI has introduced an electric vehicle battery with a 600 kilometer (372 mile) range that can charge in 20 minutes.
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Samsung also says its new battery is part of an integrated battery module that represents a 10% decrease in component units and weight compared with current batteries.
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The new battery, announced this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan is scheduled to enter production in 2021.
Dive Insight:
EV battery makers are in a constant race to extend range, shorten charging time reduce weight. Samsung SDI of South Korea has introduced its “new generation” entry in that race with a battery it says can run to 600 km and recharge up to 80% in 20 minutes.
Samsung says new materials in the battery allowed it to decrease resistance within the battery cell and make a battery capable of fast charging.
Samsung SDI also exhibited a new "integrated battery module" concept that consists of more than 24 cells with a capacity of 6 to 8 kWh, compared with a conventional battery with 12 cells and a capacity of 2 to 3 kWh.
Greentech Media tempered Samsung’s announcement, noting that the company unveiled its 600-kilometer battery at the auto show last year and, at the time, said commercial production would begin in 2020. That date has now been pushed out to 2021.
The fast charging claim also needs some context, Ravi Manghani, director of energy storage at GTM Research, told the news outlet. "The 'fastness' of charging is as much dependent on the charging infrastructure as it is on the EV batteries," said. If the longer range batteries can be commercialized in five year, they will need progress in charging-station technology and deployment to support them, he said.