Senior Executive Vice President Kim Dong-myung, head of LG Chem’s Automobile Energy Solutions Business Division, GS Caltex Strategic Planning Office Executive Director Kim Jung-soo, and others attend a ceremony to sign an MOU on the improving of charging environment and exploring new business opportunities at LG Twin Tower in Yeouido, Seoul, on Aug. 7. (Photo: GS Caltex)

GS Caltex has teamed up with LG Chem to develop specialized services related to EV batteries using big data.

The two companies joined forces with Signet EV, SoftBerry, KST Mobility and Green Car in signing an MOU to improve the charging environment and explore new business opportunities at the LG Twin Tower in Yeouido, Seoul, on July 7.

GS Caltex and LG Chem shared the necessity for the development of charging solutions for the development of the EV eco-system, and the two companies’ agreeing to provide services related to EV batteries using big data made in the course of charging EVs led to collaboration among EV business partners.

Among those on hand at the signing ceremony were Senior Executive Vice President Kim Dong-myung, head of LG Chem’s Automobile Energy Solutions Business Division, GS Caltex Strategic Planning Office Executive Director Kim Jung-soo, Signet EV CEO Hwang Chul-ho, Soft Berry CEO Park Yong-hee, KST Mobility CEO Lee Haeng-yeol and Green Car CEO Kim Sang-won.

The deal is designed to explore specialized battery services of diverse batteries using EV big data, being collected at charging stations. GS Caltex and LG Chem initially agreed to develop battery safety diagnosis services.

The battery safety diagnosis service will save driving and charging data in a cloud server, while an EV (with Green Car, or KST Mobility) charges at a GS Caltex Charging Station, and using the LG Chem big data analysis and battery service algorithm, the current status and dangers of the battery will be checked and provided not only on the charger panel (Signet EV), but also the driver’s mobile phone (via Soft Berry).

After finishing verification by 2021, GS Caltex and LG Chem plan to launch domestic service business and go abroad to explore the overseas specialized battery service market starting 2022.

The two companies also agreed to explore new services such as smart charging and remaining life prediction that can improve the battery life based on the battery safety diagnostic service in the future.

If and when the service is developed, a motorist can receive one-stop services at a GS Caltex EV charging station, including battery safety diagnostics, smart charging, employing degeneration prevention algorithms, and remaining life prediction services.

The deal takes on significance since GS Caltex, strengthening its competitiveness in the energy mobility sector beyond the conventional refinery business, partnered LG Chem, a leader of the global EV battery market, to commodify services specializing in batteries.

Currently, GS Caltex operates 100kW EV chargers at 44 gas stations/charging stations across the nation.

The company plans to continue to expand the EV ecosystem based on its gas stations by increasing the number of EV charging stations (100kW or higher) to about 160 by 2022 and widening services related to cars.

LG Chem boasts over 17,000 intellectual properties related to EVs through preemptive R&D investments over the past 30 years. In addition, it supplied batteries to about 3.5 million EVs around the world as of the end of last year, and based on this, it has also obtained long-life battery technologies and life assessment capacities.

GS Caltex Executive Director Kim said, “The EV charging business not only has to offer faster and more convenient charging services, but should also collect data and offer various vehicle diagnostics services via the charging station.”

 
GS Caltex plans to forge cooperation with partnerships in the EV ecosystem and mobilize the strengths of each company to create an organic business model, he added.

Senior Executive Vice President Kim said, “The agreement has paved the way for motorists to use EVs in a more safe and convenient fashion by providing services specializing in EVs.

“We will become the global leader not only in the product competitiveness of the EV battery, but also in the service sector,” he added.

Kakao T-bike Batteries to be Charged at GS Caltex’s Gas Stations

GS Caltex and Kakao Mobility struck an MOU on cooperation in the electric bicycle business on June 21.

Under the agreement, a facility charging Kakao T-bike batteries will be installed at idle space of GS Caltex’s five gas stations in Seoul, Incheon, Jeonju and Ulsan, staring July.