Sonid Acquires 'Kobat', a Total Solution Company for Secondary Battery Packs

KOSDAQ-listed company Sonid (CEO Oh Jung-geon) announced on the 15th that it has acquired KOBAT, a BoT (Battery of Things) specialized company developing secondary battery packs and management systems, and will make a full-scale entry into the secondary battery pack market.

KOBAT, which holds the only customized battery pack total solution technology in Korea, supplies customer-tailored BMS (Battery Management System) along with secondary battery packs. From the design stage of customized battery packs to production technology and core technologies (OBC, BMS, special cooling technology, fast charging technology), it is capable of designing and manufacturing the entire battery pack, peripheral devices, and power supply systems. This differentiates it from existing battery pack companies whose technological capabilities are limited to merely producing and distributing battery packs.

KOBAT has a track record of delivering customized solutions to numerous leading companies. It supplied 'ultra-high-efficiency battery packs' used in limited spaces to KAIST and UboLab, developed the first battery pack in Korea for special environments such as temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius and ultra-high vacuum for Samsung Display, and developed, manufactured, and supplied battery packs for the Korean launch vehicle 'Nuriho' for space launch vehicles.

This year, KOBAT aims to supply battery solutions for refrigerated trucks in Hyundai Motor Company's commercial vehicle division and to register as a packer for LG Energy Solution. It also plans to supply battery solutions for commercial forklifts.

KOBAT has secured the supply of an auxiliary battery power supply system responsible for heating and cooling functions of Hyundai Motor Company's 1-ton refrigerated electric truck. With an estimated annual domestic sales volume of 30,000 refrigerated trucks, the company stated that by receiving orders and supplying 6,000 units, which is 20% of the total, the sales target for battery supply to Hyundai Motor Company is 36 billion KRW annually.

KOBAT has completed an exclusive purchase agreement with KB Insurance to exclusively receive all end-of-life batteries generated from accident electric vehicles for reuse and recycling business of used batteries, enhancing synergy with Sonid's ongoing used battery recycling business.

Sonid CEO Oh Jung-geon said, "KOBAT has production factories and battery pack production facilities, enabling turnkey execution of the entire process related to battery pack projects, from BMS development, housing, obtaining official test results to KC certification." He added, "With this acquisition, we will complete a comprehensive used battery recycling value chain including battery pre-processing, post-processing, and reuse, further strengthening our competitiveness in the used battery recycling sector."

He continued, "Our goal is to further expand the application areas of secondary batteries, create various new markets, and enter overseas markets."