US 'Aptera Motors' Signs Business Agreement
The solar electric vehicle 'Aptera' equipped with LG Energy Solution batteries. Photo by LG Energy Solution
LG Energy Solution will exclusively supply cylindrical batteries to the U.S. solar electric vehicle startup 'Aptera Motors.'
LG Energy Solution announced on the 10th that it signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Aptera Motors and the domestic battery pack manufacturer 'CTNS' at CES 2025, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA, on the 8th (local time).
Through this agreement, LG Energy Solution will supply 4.4 GWh of 2170 cylindrical batteries (21 mm diameter, 70 mm height) to Aptera Motors over seven years from this year until 2031, and actively cooperate to produce solar electric vehicles, a new product category in the future mobility market. Considering that the average price of electric vehicle batteries last year was about $115 per kWh, the supply scale amounts to approximately 739.1 billion KRW.
The solar electric vehicle 'Aptera,' developed by Aptera Motors, is a new form of mobility that maximizes driving range by simultaneously applying solar panels and battery packs. It successfully completed test drives last year and has received pre-orders for about 50,000 units, with plans to launch in the U.S. market starting this year.
According to Aptera Motors, this vehicle can travel 643 km on a single charge. It can also travel 64 km in a day using only solar panels, making it highly practical for urban commuting. Additionally, with a futuristic design that minimizes air resistance, it is regarded as a representative vehicle of next-generation mobility and has even appeared in famous U.S. science fiction movies.
On the 8th (local time) at the 'CES 2025' in the United States, (from right) Choi Geun-hyeok, Head of Marketing at LG Energy Solution, Chris Anthony, Co-CEO of Aptera Motors, and Kwon Ki-jung, CEO of CTNS, held an MOU signing ceremony. Photo by LG Energy Solution
Through this supply contract with Aptera Motors, LG Energy Solution will be able to accelerate the 'diversification of product and customer portfolios.'
Last year, LG Energy Solution announced its corporate vision, 'Empower Every Possibility,' and revealed plans to diversify its portfolio into new business areas with high future growth potential, such as robots, ships, and urban air mobility (UAM). In November last year, it signed an MOU for 'battery cell supply contract and technical cooperation' with Bear Robotics, a mobility platform company based on autonomous robots.
The diversification of the business portfolio is possible because LG Energy Solution possesses differentiated customer value capabilities not only in pouch-type batteries but also in cylindrical battery fields.
Since developing the first cylindrical battery in 1999, LG Energy Solution has expanded the range of applications by producing various products up to the recent 46 series batteries. In particular, next year, mass production of the 46 series will begin at the Arizona plant in the U.S., enabling timely response to customer demand.
Hyuk Choi, Head of Marketing at LG Energy Solution, said, "As a global leader in the battery industry, LG Energy Solution will showcase differentiated customer value in the next-generation mobility sector."
Chris Anthony, Co-CEO of Aptera Motors, said, "This agreement is a significant milestone in launching solar electric vehicles with the reliability and performance customers expect. We are pleased to work together with LG Energy Solution and CTNS, who have outstanding expertise, for a sustainable future of transportation."
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