Samsung announced on March 14 that it has broken ground on a 6,500-square-meter all-solid-state battery test line at the site of its research facility in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do. The company named it “S-Line,” where S stands for “Solid,” “Sole,” and “Samsung SDI.”

Samsung SDI plans to introduce pure battery electrode plates, solid electrolyte processing equipment and battery assembly equipment at the S-Line. So far, the company has made one or two prototypes in the lab. When the S-Line is completed, large-scale pilot production will be possible.

전고체 배터리는 고체 전해질을 함유하고 있어 화재의 위험이 거의 없습니다. 고체 배터리는 높은 에너지 밀도를 가지고 있지만 게임 체인저로 여겨집니다.

Samsung SDI is developing a solid-state battery with a sulfide-based electrolyte. Compared with polymer oxide-based electrolytes, this electrolyte has advantages in terms of scale-up of production and charging speed. Samsung SDI has obtained the design and patent of the sulfide electrolyte material and has entered the technology verification stage.

업계 관계자는 “테스트 라인 건설은 삼성SDI가 전고체전지 양산의 기술적 어려움을 어느 정도 극복했다는 의미”라고 말했다.

이제 남은 가장 큰 걸림돌은 상온과 저온에서 더 빠른 충전을 보장하는 기술이다. 고체 전해질의 이온 전도도는 액체 전해질보다 낮기 때문에 전고체 전지의 충방전율은 기존 전지보다 낮습니다.

파일럿 라인을 통해 삼성SDI는 경쟁사보다 전고체 전지 양산에 한 발짝 더 다가갈 것입니다. LG에너지솔루션과 SK온은 2030년경 양산을 목표로 전고체전지 기술을 개발하고 있다.

Among battery startups, Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape plans to start mass production of all-solid-state batteries as early as 2024. Solid Power, which has BMW and Ford as major shareholders, also announced that it will release electric vehicles with solid-state batteries in 2025. SES, backed by Hyundai Motor Co and General Motors (GM), also hopes to commercialize lithium metal batteries by 2025.

Meanwhile, Samsung SDI liquidated its Wuxi-based battery pack company SWBS in late 2021, according to battery industry sources. Samsung SDI previously completed the liquidation of another battery pack company, SCPB, based in Changchun, China, in early 2021. As a result, Samsung SDI has completely withdrawn from the battery pack business in China.

삼성SDI는 중국 배터리팩 공장을 모두 폐쇄하고 톈진과 시안 지역의 배터리 셀 공장 운영에 집중할 계획이다.