Jidongseop CEO: "Hyundai·Kia, Volkswagen, Ford Are Our Most Important Clients"
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] SK Innovation attracted attention as the only one among the three battery companies to exhibit Hyundai Motor at 'InterBattery 2020' held this year. There is an interpretation that this is to secure the third batch of orders for Hyundai Motor's dedicated electric vehicle platform (E-GMP) to be launched at the end of the year.
On the morning of the 21st, SK Innovation exhibited two electric vehicles, Hyundai Motor's 'Niro' and Mercedes-Benz's 'S560e', at its booth at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, where 'InterBattery 2020' was held. This contrasts with LG Chem and Samsung SDI, which exhibited Audi's 'e-tron' and Jaguar's Range Rover 'PAC EV', respectively.
Ji Dong-seop, CEO of SK Innovation's Battery Division, said while touring the booth, "Currently, the most important automotive customers for SK Innovation are Hyundai·Kia Motors, Volkswagen, and Ford," adding, "We are responsible for Hyundai·Kia Motors' European volume, and we are receiving good responses in Europe."
Hyundai Motor will introduce a dedicated electric vehicle platform starting next year. Previously, SK Innovation secured the first batch of orders for Hyundai Motor's E-GMP. The second batch was secured by LG Chem and China's CATL, and the largest third batch bidding is scheduled for the end of this year. LG Chem and SK Innovation are competing to secure the third batch of orders. This is why SK Innovation showcased Hyundai Motor at the exhibition to boast its battery technology.
Although SK Innovation was the latest to invest in the electric vehicle battery business, it is the most aggressive among the three battery companies. The currently mass-producing battery plants are the Seosan plant in Korea (4.7GWh), Kom?rom Plant 1 in Hungary (7.5GWh), and Changzhou Plant in China (7.5GWh). The Georgia Plant 1 in the United States (9.8GWh, planned for mass production in 2022) will start producing prototypes from next year, and the establishment of Plant 2 is currently underway. Additionally, Kom?rom Plant 2 in Hungary is also under construction.
It is expected to secure an electric vehicle battery production capacity of 30GWh within this year at the earliest. This scale surpasses Samsung SDI's production capacity (20GWh).
When asked about additional investments beyond the ongoing battery plant investments, CEO Ji said, "If American car companies request more battery supply, we can build Plants 3 and 4 in the United States as well."
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