Boston, United States:
SES AI Corporation (“SES AI”) (NYSE: SES), a global leader in the development and manufacturing of high-performance Li-Metal batteries for electric vehicles (EV) and other applications, hosted its second annual Battery World event and announced its progress towards the commercialization of its Li-Metal battery technology.
During his Keynote speech, Dr. Qichao Hu, Founder and CEO of SES AI, disclosed the Company’s new facility in Chungju, South Korea. Equipped with expanded in-house manufacturing capability, the new facility further enhances SES AI’s global cell engineering capability, serving as a strong complement to SES AI’s Shanghai Giga in the steady production of large-format 50Ah and 100Ah Li-Metal cells. The added manufacturing capacity in South Korea will also strengthen ties with SES AI’s joint development agreement OEMs, GM, Hyundai and Honda.
Through the development of enhanced engineering capability, the initial data of SES AI’s large-format cells continue to show encouraging potential of Li-Metal chemistry. The 50Ah cells boast excellent performance in cold weather climates of -30oC and in high power discharge under room temperature, both achieved at a high energy density. In terms of safety, the 50Ah cells passed third-party abuse tests including nail penetration, overcharge, external short circuit and thermal stability. SES AI believes it is the first Li-Metal battery manufacturer in the world to secure the UN38.3 transport certification for large-format Li-Metal cells.
Hu also showcased a video featuring a successful Electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft test flight powered by SES AI’s 100Ah Li-Metal battery pack and AI-powered safety software Avatar. “Li-Metal is not an individual technology or a collection of individual technologies, it has to be a system.” said Hu. SES AI’s systemic approach is key to its leadership in next generation battery technology. The Avatar software collects data across the manufacturing process – from raw materials to applications for battery health monitoring. SES AI has been training data of 4Ah Li-Metal cells since 2019 with the accuracy of failure prediction approaching nearly 99%. With large-format cells, the failure prediction went from 0 to 60% in only a few months with much room for optimization.
“We have learned a lot this year, in particular the importance of building a robust supply chain to achieving commercialization of Li-Metal battery technology. We have taken meaningful steps towards having more control over our supply chain, and are excited by how it will accelerate the development of our batteries in 2023. The electric vehicle revolution is coming, and the more we can all do to diversify the global supply chain, the sooner it will arrive.” said Hu.
The event also featured a panel discussion joined by leading representatives from across the EV ecosystem from upstream mining industry players to downstream auto OEMs.
A replay of the whole session is available on SES AI’s official YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/NkqzHdYPq64).
