Posted on 07 Jul 2022
German automaker BMW's South Korean branch is likely to meet with South Korean suppliers to discuss potential collaborations on solid-state batteries with those suppliers, which may include Hana Technology and EcoPro BM, Kallanish learns.
According to South Korean The Elec's sources, this collaboration may be related to BMW's plan of constructing solid-state trial production lines at its battery production centre named Cell Manufacturing Competence Centre (CMCC) at Parsdorf, Germany. And according to Germany's Merkur, BMW Group has announced that the battery cell production in Parsdorf will start soon in autumn with the opening of the CMCC.
SDI, South Korean leading battery company and BMW's long-term partner, is also a potential partner for BMW on the joint development of solid-state batteries, according to South Korean media.
It says: "Last month, BMW's ceo Oliver Zipse met with Samsung's vice chairman Lee Jae-yong and Samsung SDI's ceo Choi Yunho."
In June, Solid Power, a company backed by automakers Ford and BMW, announced that it has begun pilot production of EV-use solid-state batteries for internal testing purposes and will start sending testing samples to Ford and BMW later this year. It aims to start mass production in 2024.
According to Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, during June, South Korea's imported vehicle sales went down by 13.3% year-on-year, mainly due to the semiconductor shortage and supply chain disruptions. European models accounted for 83.4% of the imported vehicle market share in June, and German automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz ranked the first and the second during this period.
Source:Kallanish
