SK On is ready to develop a traction battery that
Hardware

SK On is ready to develop a traction battery that can be charged in 10 minutes

Back in 2018 as noted in the company press release, South Korea’s SK On has been awarded a contract by a major automaker to develop a traction battery for an electric vehicle that can be recharged in 18 minutes. The so-called SF battery won an award in the Embedded Technologies category at CES 2023, and SK On assured the public that the company could reduce the charging time for traction batteries to ten minutes.

    Image source: SK On

Image source: SK On

When SK On was tasked with reducing it to 18 minutes in 2018, 30 minutes of fast charging was theoretically possible, while in practice the best examples only fit 50 minutes. Korean specialists had to experiment with coating technologies for lithium battery cells and the actual process of their manufacture. The SK On management is particularly proud of the fact that the charging speed of 18 minutes was achieved without affecting the service life of the traction battery. This was confirmed by practical tests, the duration of which was three times longer than the norm.

As the next step in this journey, SK On is considering creating a traction battery capable of restoring a charge in 10 minutes. South Korean automakers are already ready for this type of innovation, as their electric vehicles currently operate on a high-voltage grid voltage of 800V, which is suitable for use in high-power DC charging stations. Since the SK On facility will also operate in the US, US-built cars can be equipped with batteries with fast-charging capabilities.

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