KOSDAQ-listed company IM announced on the 30th that it will commercialize a battery warmer based on heating film, which maximizes the efficiency of electric vehicle batteries, together with its subsidiary IM Advanced Materials.
The battery warmer is a product that overcomes the limitations of electric vehicle batteries, whose driving range decreases in winter, through efficient low-temperature management technology. It prevents battery discharge issues in electric vehicles even in severe subzero cold and enables rapid charging of electric vehicle batteries at low power.
Until now, electric vehicles have faced the limitation of reduced driving range in winter due to battery power being consumed for heating. Even with larger battery capacities, the charging efficiency sharply decreases due to overcharge prevention cutoff systems and low-temperature environments, which has been pointed out as a problem.
Recently, a polar cold wave has swept through the central northern United States, causing numerous cases of electric vehicle discharges and towing. This is because the batteries installed in electric vehicles are sensitive to temperature and their performance deteriorates in low-temperature environments. Typically, as the temperature drops, the liquid electrolyte solidifies, increasing internal resistance and reducing battery efficiency.
To overcome these electric vehicle battery efficiency issues, IM is accelerating research and development (R&D) and commercialization of heating film technology that can be used as a key component of electric vehicle battery warmers together with IM Advanced Materials. Heating film is affected by resistance during the process of converting electrical energy into heat energy. IM possesses resistance control coating technology and design capabilities, and has established all the mass production facilities, completing preparations for commercialization.
This product applies structural placement design between cells and battery cases in extreme environments as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius, enabling electric vehicle battery charging and operation within 10 minutes. As a result, it contributes to dramatically solving the problems of existing electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems (ESS). Additionally, it shows power consumption up to one-quarter lower compared to conventional PTC heaters.
The strengths of IM’s heating film include the ability to easily develop low-power, high-efficiency heaters through surface heating, simple attachment to cell covers and cases, lightweight of less than 30g per film sheet, and safe and efficient energy management enabled by fine temperature control through a self-developed temperature controller. It also has the advantage of surface-shaped heating and transparent implementation compared to typical wire heating methods. IM’s heating film achieves over 96% transmittance by applying optical coating on transparent electrodes. Therefore, it is expected to be applicable not only to electric vehicle battery warmers but also to automotive cameras, closed-circuit television (CCTV), and more.
IM is conducting R&D with domestic ESS device and battery cell companies to commercialize the battery warmer application. It has also started reliability testing with Japanese clients. Development of battery warmers and temperature control systems for two-wheelers is also underway, raising expectations for results.
An IM official stated, “Even at minus 2 degrees Celsius, the driving range of electric vehicles decreases by nearly 20%, which is a concern not only for Korea but also for electric vehicle owners worldwide suffering from cold waves.” The official added, “If IM’s heating film is commercialized, it is expected to serve as an electric vehicle battery warmer, contributing to reducing battery power consumption and preventing discharge during winter.” The official further noted, “Once heating film commercialization is achieved, it can be applied to various fields including ships, construction, and electronic devices. In particular, the advantage lies in the possibility of developing functional heating films by combining optical coating technology with heating film.”
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