SK Innovation doubles EV battery production

[fanbanlo]

SEOSAN, South Chungcheong Province ― SK Innovation said Wednesday that it has doubled its annual production of electric vehicle (EV) batteries to meet increasing demand at home and abroad.

At the expanded rate, the nation's biggest energy company can supply batteries that power up to 30,000 EVs. Kia Motor and Beijing Automotive Industry Holding are key customers.

Kia's Soul EV, which is powered by SK batteries, was named the best-selling EV in Korea last year after sales of 414, which accounted for more than one third of the domestic EV market. The Chinese carmaker produces two EV models ― C33 and C70 ― with SK products.

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2015/07/123_183736.html

 

[mtndrew1]

If I remember correctly, Kia's goal for the first model year was to sell 5,000 Soul EVs globally. If the SKI production distribution ratio remains the same I guess we can expect 10,000 Soul EVs for the 2016 model year?

 

[irfca]

If I remember correctly, Kia's goal for the first model year was to sell 5,000 Soul EVs globally. If the SKI production distribution ratio remains the same I guess we can expect 10,000 Soul EVs for the 2016 model year?

Yes, that was the goal they stated for the Soul EV. I did some poking around http://ev-sales.blogspot.ca/ adding up the various reports for 2014 and through Jun / Jul 2015 ... the total there was around 3,000 give or take (in 2014 468 in Europe, 359 US, 21 Canada, 311 Korea, and through Jun/15, 1294 in Europe, 470 in US, 48 in Canada, 44 in Australia ... unknown for Korea) ... so add in approx the US sales repeated in Korea (similar sales in 2014), that would put total "2015" model sales in 3,500 range ... maybe a bit higher if some reports were guessed wrong / based on wrong info...? Hopefully the 2016 model production and sales will be much higher!

 

[JejuSoul]

I also estimate 5,000 Soul EVs globally for 2015 and 10,000 Soul EVs for the 2016 model year.

20% of the 2015 model are here on Jeju island. In all likelihood next year it will be higher. The South Korean government has just agreed to subsidise 8000 cars next year. 5000 of which will go to Jeju.

 

[JejuSoul]

The new SK Innovation EV battery production seems to be on stream.
These are the global sales figures for the first 6 months of this year.

Info from http://media.daum.net/economic/industry/newsview?newsid=20150730173004120

 

[JejuSoul]

Global sales of Soul EV for July - 725; August - 796.
Majority of these cars are going to Europe (Norway, Germany)

The story I have heard is that next year's increase in battery production will add a further 400MWh (700MWh -> 1.1GWh).
So it is possible the sales figures will go up to 1300 a month next year. Slow progress!

But Hyundai is set to release a small EV next year. Probably the BlueOn II.
It is likely to also use the SK Innovation battery. The first BlueOn did.
If so there will be less batteries available for the Soul EV.

Edit - Ignore the BlueOn II comment.
Latest rumour is that the Hyundai AE will be a Prius lookalike.
The EV version will debut in Jeju in March 2016.
It will use LG Chem batteries.

 

[JejuSoul]

Kia Soul EV Goes Through The Roof - http://ev-sales.blogspot.kr/2015/11/germany-october-2015.html
"... As tradition in the German EV market, there was a lot to talk about in the top positions, beginning with the Kia Soul EV pulverizing the monthly sales record for a single model, by registering 980(!) units in October..."
This is way higher than expected. Given the battery production estimated global sales should be 800 or so each month.

Note also - Chinese EV sales: http://ev-sales.blogspot.kr/2015/11/hero-of-month-record-how-high-is-high.html
The BAIC E-Series EV sales for October are 2.344. Given the battery production estimated sales should be 1600 or so each month.

I don't know how SK Innovation is doing this. There has been no news of an upgrade to the battery factory.
Most recent news from Korean press is just that the Seosan factory is working 24/7
http://www.etoday.co.kr/news/section/newsview.php?idxno=1235324

 

[JejuSoul]

Latest news from SK Innovation see http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3015179&cloc=joongangdaily|home|newslist1

SK Innovation inked a deal with M ercedes-B enz to supply it with lithium-ion battery cells, according to the company on Wednesday.
The move is a major step forward for the company, which is trying to catch up with current top players LG Chem and Samsung SDI.
“We cannot disclose exact quantities or numbers regarding the contract, but it is a large-scale project covering batteries not only for a single electric car model but for various models by the carmaker,” the company said.
In an effort to strengthen its electric car battery business, SK Innovation doubled the capacity of its existing battery manufacturing facility in Seosan, South Chungcheong, last year and is operating the factory seven days a week, 24 hours a day. With the added orders from the recent contract, the company plans to add more production lines to the facility.

Sales of the Soul EV fell in Germany last month to 37 see http://ev-sales.blogspot.kr/2016/02/germany-january-2016.html
That is quite a drop from the 980 we saw in November. Perhaps that impressively large figure included advance orders which are now being delivered. (Possibly to Norway)

 

[Birkeland]

Just a side note. Many of the EVs sold to Germany ends up in Norway. I live in Norway, and my car comes from Germany as part of a shipment of about 200 cars. The ship arrives at Germany where they are registered so Germany can fulfill an enviromental quota of EVs. The next day, the ship continues to Norway where KIA dealership is getting the cars. The demand of KIA Soul EV in Norway has been so high (waiting time for up to 9 months), so KIA Norway are buying cars from other countries to take care of the demand.

I wonder why Hyundai is not opting for the SK-innovation batteries.

 

[JejuSoul]

I wonder why Hyundai is not opting for the SK-innovation batteries.

An easy guess is price. I think LG Chem is substantially cheaper. Whether this is because of economy of scale or that LG Chem is deeply discounting at a loss to build market share I don't know. The new Hyundai I oniq Electric's main competitor here is the the Renault Fluence (Samsung SM3). The battle between them will be won or lost on price. Both use LG Chem.

The starting price for an EV here :- Soul 41.5, I oniq 40.0, Fluence 38.9 (million won)
Jeju discount is 19 million won.
Actual price in USD :- Soul 18.0 I oniq 16.8, Fluence 15.9 (thousand USD)

 

[JejuSoul]

2015 Global sales for Soul EV - 8452 = 1166 in Korea and 7286 exported.
Adding the 1340 Soul EV's sold in 2014 means we probably are over the 10,000 cumulative sales now.

Yes, the 10,000 sales mark was crossed in January.
News from Yonhap via insideevs.com

SEOUL, March 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's second-ranked carmaker, Kia Motors Corp., said Tuesday that it has sold more than 10,000 units of the Soul electric vehicle (EV) in less than two years after its launch, helped by strong demand from the European market.
The Soul EV, the electric vehicle variant of the Soul crossover vehicle, posted combined sales of 10,210 units through January of this year, with the overseas market taking up 8,630 units.
Of the amount sold abroad, Europe accounted for 6,770 units, followed by the United States with 1,411.

 

[JejuSoul]

Another expansion of the Seosan Battery factory. see http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=3016359

SK Innovation will produce more electric-car batteries
Mar 18,2016
SK Innovation said Thursday that it will expand its production plant for electric-vehicle batteries located at Seosan, South Chungcheong, as the company plans to strengthen its battery business. After the expansion, the manufacturer said it will be able to produce batteries for 40,000 vehicles a year.
“We have secured supplies to sustain production for seven years with the plant running 24 hours a day,” said Kim Hong-dae, head of the battery division. “Our battery business is growing rapidly.”
SK Innovation has supplied batteries to about 20,000 cars manufactured by both local and foreign automakers last year, and the company said it will supply 30,000 cars this year.
The battery maker inked a deal with Mercedes-Benz to supply battery cells earlier this year and has been supplying its products for Kia Motors’ Soul EV and China’s Beijing Auto EV200.

A fairly small increase as expected. There is nothing here about new technology or improved cells. If the current ratio between Kia and BAIC is maintained then the number of Soul EVs on sale each month could go up from 800 to 1066.

Another mention of the increased production is here - http://english.etnews.com/20160408200003

SK Innovation also quickly grew size of electric vehicle battery business. Although its production capability of batteries was only 0.3GWh at the end of 2014, it increased to 0.7GWh in July of last year due to increase in supplies from China.Its current operation rate is 100% and SK Innovation is planning to increase production capability up to 1GWh by third quarter of this year through extension of lines. Demands for batteries from its customers like Daimler Chrysler and its partners like Beijing Auto are very stable.

This article also mentions that the battery production is currently loss-making but is expected to turn a profit by 2018.

 

[JejuSoul]

The number of Soul EVs on sale each month does indeed seem to be 1066. I just saw a brand new car with VIN ending 15500 suggesting 5,300 cars have been produced in the 3 months since January when we knew the total was 10,200.

So where did all these new cars go? Norway is obviously number 1. 1300+ sales. But sales in the US and Germany have been really poor. There's a lot of new Soul EVs here on the island but probably not the 2000 I guessed last year.

There's a long and very informative article on how brand new Kia Soul EVs were sold as used cars in Norway after having been first 'sold' in Germany to gain EU pollution credits. (It is in German) - http://www.manager-magazin.de/unternehmen/autoindustrie/hyundai-poliert-co2-flottenverbrauch-mit-kia-soul-ev-export-a-1064529.html
This trickery accounted for a very large proportion of global sales. The article suggests 4000 cars in 2015. The number of 'used' cars bought in Norway was far higher than the purchase of new cars last year. But for that to be happening this year (2016) we would need to see the original sales occurring somewhere in the EU. They aren't.

As for the rest of SK Innovation's production. If I use the same assumption as above that the increased production began in Feb 2016, and that the plant continues to produce to the maximum 24/7.
Then batteries for the Chinese BAIC E-Series EV would be 1600 in Jan and 2128 in Feb, Mar, Apr. = 7984 in the first 4 months.
This fits roughly with actual sales - 6998 see http://ev-sales.blogspot.com/2016/05/china-april-2016.html . (The new BAIC EU260 / D50 EV has a 41.4kWh Beijing Pride Power battery. Not SK)

The main points of this exercise are to show that the battery plant is producing to the max. That the number of cars sold exactly matches the the number of batteries produced. And that the announcements of upgrades to the battery plant seem to be made once the upgrade is complete not before.

The contract with Mercedes Benz seems to be for the second generation of the B Class Electric Drive. (Currently that has a Tesla battery). see http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/news/mercedes-b-klasse-electric-drive-kuenftig-ohne-tesla-technik-659034.html The really interesting part "The range of the B-Class Electric Drive is expected to rise to around 500 kilometers." This is the first real hint I have seen that a new battery from SK will be coming soon.

 

[fanbanlo]

Mercedes-Benz Turns To SK Innovations As Lithium-Ion Battery Supplier For Future Plug-In Cars

http://insideevs.com/mercedes-benz-turns-to-sk-innovations-as-lithium-ion-battery-supplier-for-future-plug-in-cars/

 

[JejuSoul]

fanbanlo - thanks for the link. The insideevs article just quotes an SK press release from February without actually naming the source or dating it. The insideevs website seems to be good for discussing Tesla but not much else.

The website electrek.co had a better article that was more timely. - Mercedes selects a li-ion battery cell supplier for Its upcoming line of electric vehicles They also have a great photo of our battery pack



We will know more about Daimler's plans later this year. New Mercedes-Benz electric SUV to be revealed at Paris motor show in September.

And PARIS MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes-Benz to unveil ‘dangerously fast’ EV

I also found this news article interesting - although it is not related to SK Innovation -LSIS Co., Ltd. to Mass-Produce Its Portable Chargers for Electric Vehicles Soon It shows the very long 'lead' times suppliers get before starting mass production.

 

[JejuSoul]

SK Innovation has doubled battery production again (adding 800MWh to new total of 1600MWh). I expect the entirety of this new batch to go to Daimler.
From the very first article in this thread, "In May 2015, SK Innovation CEO Chung Chul-khil said the company would supply EV batteries to German carmaker Daimler from the latter part of 2016"
There is no data yet whether the latest battery is an improvement on the old.

from http://www.segye.com/content/html/2016/07/26/20160726002769.html

 

[ZuinigeRijder]

This link shows the battery manufactures and the SK Group is at place #8. The market share is only 3%.

http://ev-sales.blogspot.nl/2016/07/batteries-june-2016.html

Maybe this is going to be changed, when they also deliver to Daimler?

 

[JejuSoul]

My estimate for SK's H1 production is 350MWh. Slightly higher than that in the link above. H2 will more than double to 800MWh.
The amazing thing is that this may not be enough to improve that #8 ranking.
Panasonic is ramping up production far more than this with the start of the Gigafactory.
LG Chem must also be ramping up in H2 to provide cells for the Bolt.
BYD and the other Chinese battery suppliers are also known to be massively ramping up production.
AESC is supposedly making cells for a new 48kWh Leaf due out later this year.
It is only Samsung SDI that seems to in limbo with the BMW i3. (I know there's a battery upgrade but this car's sales seem to be declining.)

It isn't for the Soul EV but I am really pleased to see such a massive leap in future EV sales potential.
Still I can't help but wonder when/if we will hear about a battery upgrade for our cars.

There are a lot of articles today in the Korean Press about SK Innovation's expansion. They are all the same.
Can't find the original press release. Another photo of the battery production.

 

[SoulEV2016]

 

[JejuSoul]

Using the numbers from http://ev-sales.blogspot.com for H1 sales of the Kia Soul EV
With the addition of the Korean figure published recently in the Korean news.

Europe            1888 ---- (Norway 649, France 492, Germany 292 ...)
North America     919 ----- (USA 613, Canada 306)
South Korea       310

Total             3117

We also have the sales of the BAIC E-Series EV in China of 9.977.
There are links to details about this car in this thread - Rising Chinese EV Sales
Follow the links to see that the Chinese cars use the same 30.5kWh battery packs as the Soul EV.
This gives the total H1 car sales with SK Innovation battery packs as 3117 + 9997 = 13,114
If all these cars have a 30.5kWh battery pack then the total battery pack capacity was 399,977 kWh or 400 MWh
So I'm wondering why the very same ev-sales.blogspot.com thinks that the total battery capacity produced was 241 MWh
Given that the yearly production number was 800 MWh until the expansion in July. The H1 six month total of 400 MWh does not seem far fetched.

2 Caveats:
1/Matching the Soul EV sales and production figures is still really distorted by the 'EU Emissions Scam' that Kia pulled in the second half of 2015.
What I see when I add up the numbers is
H1 2015 sales 2447, prod 3300
H2 2015 sales 6005, prod 4800
H1 2016 sales 3117, prod 6130

2/I don't know if all the BAIC E-Series EV sales listed are cars with SK Innovation battery packs. If not I have no way of separating the figures.