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.

Cietvielu akumulatori satur cietus elektrolītus, tāpēc ir mazs aizdegšanās risks. Lai gan tiem ir augsts enerģijas blīvums, tiek uzskatīts, ka cietvielu akumulatori arī maina spēli.

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.

“Testēšanas līnijas uzbūve nozīmē, ka Samsung SDI zināmā mērā ir pārvarējis visas cietvielu akumulatoru masveida ražošanas tehniskās grūtības,” sacīja nozares avots.

Lielākais atlikušais šķērslis šobrīd ir tehnoloģija, kas nodrošina ātrāku uzlādi telpā un zemā temperatūrā. Cieto elektrolītu jonu vadītspēja ir zemāka nekā šķidro elektrolītu jonu vadītspēja, tāpēc visu cietvielu akumulatoru uzlādes-izlādes ātrums ir zemāks nekā parastajiem akumulatoriem.

Izmēģinājuma līnija tuvinās Samsung SDI masveida cietvielu akumulatoru ražošanai nekā tā konkurenti. LG Energy Solution un SK On izstrādā visu cietvielu akumulatoru tehnoloģiju ar mērķi sākt masveida ražošanu ap 2030. gadu.

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 As a result, Samsung SDI has completely withdrawn from the battery pack business in China.

Samsung SDI plāno koncentrēties uz akumulatoru šūnu rūpnīcu darbību Tjaņdzjinā un Sjaņā, slēdzot visas akumulatoru rūpnīcas Ķīnā.