SK On has announced its ultra-fast charging battery, SF+.
On the 6th, I visited the SK On booth at the ‘Inter Battery 2024’ exhibition held at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul, which runs until the 8th. Upon entering the booth, the first thing displayed was a model car equipped with their battery, allowing visitors to easily identify which vehicles utilize SK On’s technology.
While the electric vehicle market mainly uses NCM batteries, LFP batteries should not be overlooked. SK On showcased its LFP battery at the venue.
SK On’s LFP battery has been designed to maximize energy storage systems by creating a single entrance for the cells. By having only one entrance door on each cell, the area available for the cells increases, thus maximizing the energy storage system.
When the energy storage system is maximized, its density increases, and its efficiency improves, addressing the low efficiency often associated with LFP batteries.
After inspecting the LFP battery, I arrived at the SF battery. The SF (Super Fast) battery features a high nickel content of 83% and was first launched in 2021.
While increased energy density can lead to higher anode resistance and longer charging times, special coatings are used to reduce anode resistance. Additionally, anode alignment methods are employed to shorten the lithium-ion pathways. SK On developed a rapid charging protocol, creating an enhanced version called the Advanced SF battery, which improves upon the original SF battery.
The Advanced SF battery increases energy density by 9% while maintaining the same charging time. But SK On didn’t stop there; they also introduced the SF+ battery, pushing the limits even further.
The SF+ battery features a dual-layer structure with high-capacity silicon and low-resistance graphite to reduce the distance lithium ions must travel and increase their speed. High-capacity silicon minimizes travel distance, while low-resistance graphite enhances speed. The result is that the SF+ battery can be charged from 10% to 80% in just 15 minutes. While it’s not as quick as refueling, electric vehicle charging times are drawing closer to that level.
SK On’s rapid charging technology reinforces the notion that the carbon-neutral era is not far off.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr