LG makes EV battery breakthrough

LG ENERGY SOLUTIONS has beaten Tesla and Volkswagen to the punch in perfecting dry-coating technology it says will make cathode and anode production more efficient, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly.

With a targeted production date commencing in 2028, the technology will eliminate the energy-intensive wet process currently in use, presenting something of a game-changer for battery electric vehicles.

Speaking with Bloomberg this week, LG Energy Solutions chief technology officer Kim Je-Young said the breakthrough is the culmination of a decade-long project that will be ready to enter its trial phase later this year (2024).

Mr Kim said full-scale production will follow in 2028, the new EV battery production method lowering manufacturing costs by between 17 and 30 per cent, depending on battery pack size.

The dry electrode manufacturing process that LG Energy Solutions is developing can be applied to both cathodes and anodes, regardless of the size of cathode particles.

The traditional wet coating process requires both costly and energy intensive steps of dissolving toxic solvents that are then dried in a nearly 100-metre long oven at temperatures approaching 200 degrees Celsius on the battery production line.

With dry coating, the need for the energy intensive process is removed, saving on electricity consumption, equipment costs, floor space, and expensive solvent recovery systems.

It is estimated that the dry coating process uses 30 per cent less electricity than the alternative and requires 50 per cent less floor space.

For battery manufacturers, the push for more efficient manufacturing processes represents a breakthrough that could provide vehicle OEMs an advantage in tackling cheaper Chinese brands – and in drawing the price of battery electric vehicles closer to their internal combustion engine counterparts.

“The EV industry is now in a difficult phase of crossing the chasm and many people are considering different ways of production,” said coating supplier Narae Nanotech CEO Jang Dong-Won.

“There is demand for a totally different way of production to beat Chinese rivals.”

with Bloomberg