China’s top two battery makers CATL and BYD both posted lowly figures for the first quarter, mostly due to the sluggish sales of EVs amid the coronavirus, according to the firms and analysts.On April 17, CATL said its net profit during the months of January to March will likely stand between 733 mil

EcoPro – the parent company of local battery cathode maker EcoProBM – is creating a joint venture (JV) in China to secure a stable source of the precursor, a key ingredient for battery cathode.The JV will be with Fuan GEM, an affiliate of China’s GEM, according to GEM on April 13. The JV will be est

SK Innovation has reportedly chosen China’s Autowell to supply equipment for assembling battery modules and packs, along with those for logistics automation at its EV battery firm located in Georgia, US, according to industry sources on April 10.It marks the first time that reports confirmed a partn

South Korean battery equipment maker TSI – a key supplier for Samsung SDI – has been sued by its rival for stealing technology information, industry sources said on April 9. The lawsuit is likely to posed as an obstacle for TSI’s efforts to get listed on the Kosdaq market.The rival is a fellow suppl

POSCO Chemical has signed a long-term supply contract with China’s Huayou Cobalt to access precursors, a key material for producing cathode for EV batteries.According to industry sources said on April 1 that the contract will last until December 2022. Under it, Huayou will supply 76,300 tons to POSC

Battery testing solution firm PNE Solution has supplied Swedish battery maker Northvolt with formation equipment and cell cyclers worth around KRW 19 billion, according to the company on April 2.This marks the first time the company supplied to a European battery maker, and in less than a year since

Samsung SDI is aiming to cut more costs by becoming more independent in terms of cathode, a key ingredient in EV batteries, by weaning itself off of local cathode makers such as Unicore and L&F.Industry sources said on April 1 that the Samsung affiliate is aiming to internalize 50% of its cathode su

LG Chem has deployed advanced mixing equipment for enhancing productivity by as much as 70% at its EV battery plant in Poland, according to industry sources told The Elec on Mar. 25.The South Korean company applied 2300 liter mixing equipment to three new production lines at its Wroclaw EV battery p

Local battery equipment maker mPLUS is targeting European clients such as the joint venture between Volkswagen and Northvolt, along with French battery company Saft operating under French energy company Total.“We plan on aggressively targeting the European battery equipment market this year,” said K

Samsung SDI’s subsidiary STM has sold its battery precursor-making unit to local supplier Cosmo AM&T, industry sources confirmed on Mar. 19.STM sold production lines with an annual capacity of up to 2,400 tons of precursors for an unspecified amount. Precursors are a key component for manufacturing

South Korea’s largest lithium battery cathode-maker Eco Pro BM has developed NCMA cathode that can help raise efficiency of EVs, and is expected to supply them to clients within the first half of this year, according to the company on Mar. 17.NCMA composes more than 80% of nickel and uses less cobal

SK Innovation has begun to improve the quality of electrolyte additives in a joint development effort with DUKSAN Techopia. Industry sources said on Mar. 12 that the pair may begin mass production of the key battery material within this year.The specs have yet to be published, but the new additives

South Korea’s Philoptics is in talks with Samsung SDI on supplying up to 28 units of notching equipment to the Samsung affiliate’s battery facilities in Hungary, according to industry sources on Mar. 11. Samsung SDI has been accelerating investment into its Hungary plant. Industry watchers say the i

South Korea’s LG Chem has suspended its plans to spin off an EV battery unit during the second half of 2020 on concerns of global uncertainties, unstable yield and ESS fires, according to industry sources on March 9. The LG affiliate had planned an IPO for the spin-off, but this too has been put on

The global Energy Storage System (ESS) market is expected to grow by 12-fold to USD 111.8 billion by 2035 from the USD 9.1 billion posted in 2019, according to market research firm Lux Research on Mar. 10.When combined with batteries for EVs and portable devices, the top 3 battery segments are expec

Samsung Electronics has switched from German battery maker Varta to China’s EVE Energy for its latest wireless earphones, the Galaxy Buds+, according to global repair parts seller iFixit on Mar. 4.The earphones used the coin-cell type batteries supplied by EVE Energy, iFixit said. Previous Samsung e

Samsung SDI is considering investing into Philoptics, one of South Korea’s largest EV battery equipment companies specializing in stacking equipment, to create a mutually beneficial partnership.Industry sources said on Mar. 3 that the Samsung affiliate is mulling plans to make direct investments int

Posco Chemical – an affiliate of South Korea’s largest steelmaker Posco – is aiming to more than double its revenues from cathode and anode this year to around KRW 700 billion on the back of more capex, according to industry sources on Feb. 26. In 2019, the firm had posted revenues of KRW 246.4 bill

Korean manufacturer mPLUS has supplied stacking equipment for making batteries to China’s SVOLT Energy Technology, formerly the Battery Business Unit of Great Wall Motor, according to industry sources on Feb.28.Like most Chinese battery makers such as CATL and BYD, SVOLT manufactures mostly square-t

Korea’s Philoptics is looking to triple revenues of its battery equipment-making business this year compared to 2019, according to the company on Feb.27.At a shareholders’ meeting held at its headquarters on this day to vote on a spinoff of its energy business division, the company indicated it is a