Samsung SDI will start supplying electric vehicle batteries for China’s automaker, JAC Motors. On Nov. 20, JAC unveiled its new electric SUV iEV6S at 2015 Guangzhou International Auto Parts & Accessories Exhibition. JAC also announced at the auto show that the batteries for iEV6S will be made by Samsung SDI.
JAC’s iEV6S will be the first electric SUV in China to cover over 250 km. It will be loaded with approximately 3,000 of Samsung SDI’s high-performance 18650 battery cells. Initiating from early next year, millions of batteries will be supplied from the Cheonan Plant in Korea and the Tianjin Plant in China.
Additionally, JAC Motors signed an MOU with Samsung SDI for the supply of 50 million battery cells next year alone. The two companies promised to collaborate as tactical partners to exchange technology and establish a solid supplier relationship.
Samsung SDI’s 18650 battery is a cylindrical cell about the size of an index finger. Despite its small size, it is powerful with an energy capacity of around 3,000 mAh. Until recently, it had been mostly used on small IT devices or power tools such as laptops, cordless drills, electric screwdrivers, e-bikes, and etc. Among global electric vehicles, Tesla has been the only brand to use 18650 batteries.
Over half of the electric vehicles sold in China take on cylindrical 18650 batteries produced by ZOTYE, Geely, JAC, or others. Samsung SDI will operate both plants in Cheonan and Tianjin to produce high-performance 18650 EV batteries to meet this demand.
Samsung SDI’s CEO Cho Nam-Seong said, “China’s electric vehicle market is rapidly growing and since it is crucial to maintain our position as a leading manufacturer, we are supplying cylindrical 18650 batteries along with the existing squared ones,” and continued, “We will aggressively respond to the demands of Chinese customers and target from various angles.”
Founded in 1964, JAC Motors is one of China’s top 10 automakers and its head office is located in Hefei, Anhui Province, China. The company has produced around 500 thousand units last year, including trucks, commercial/personal vehicles, SUVs, and etc.
Samsung SDI’s Next-Gen Wearable Battery Unpack, Showing Next-Generation Battery at InterBattery 2015
Samsung SDI (CEO Cho Nam-seong ) ) unveiled Samsung’s Stripe and Band batteries at InterBattery 2015, which tat COEX, Seoul for three days from October 20. The batteries are an embodiment of the age of wearable batteries that is applicable to any curves of a human body.
The Stripe battery, which Samsung SDI revealed for the first time, is a next-generation product that can bend and conform freely as a fiber and is equipped with innovative energy density. Since it is adaptable to various forms - such as a necklace, hairband, t-shirt accessories, and more - it will in result fuel the growth of battery application market including wearables.
The Stripe battery contains multiple element technologies that were independently developed by Samsung SDI. Cutting-edge materials were used internally and externally to finalize an ultra-slim 0.3mm design. It also created higher energy density compared to other present batteries by minimizing the width of battery sealing. The Stripe battery took grasp of both design flexibility and high performance.
Samsung SDI also showcased its Band battery at the trade show. The Band battery is a next-generation product that was made to target smartwatches. When the battery is applied on the bands of any smartwatch, it will greatly enhance the battery capacity to over 50 percent.
The Band battery of Samsung SDI proved to have sufficient marketability by operating normally subsequent to being bended over 50 thousand times within the curvature of human wrist circumference.
At InterBattery 2015, Samsung SDI also demonstrated wearable applications that were loaded with their Stripe and Band products. It is a step into the age of wearable batteries where a battery takes the reign in front of application.
