Samsung SDI Supplies Circular Battery for Electric Cars from China’s JAC

Samsung SDI is chosen as a supplier of battery for electric cars from Chinese finished vehicles manufacturer JAC.

JAC introduced its new electric car ‘iEV6S’ at a new car conference at a car exhibition in Guangzhou on the 20th and announced that it will use Samsung SDI’s batteries.
‘iEV6S’ is a first electric SUV that can drive for 250 km after charging just once and uses Samsung SDI’s high-performance circular battery (18650). Samsung SDI is planning to produce and supply millions of cells per month at its Cheonan workplace and Tianjin Corporation in China in early 2016. 

Circular batteries have been mostly used for small IT equipment and electric tools such as Note PCs, electric drills, electric drivers, electric bicycles, and others. Although it is small, it has competitiveness for electric cars due to its strong output of 3000 mAh.
Samsung SDI is strengthening its localization strategy to respond to demands from China, which is growing as a huge market for electric cars. Recently half of Chinese finished cars manufacturers such as ZOTYE, Geely, JAC and others released new cars that use circular batteries. Samsung SDI is planning to produce high-performance circular batteries at its Cheonan workplace and Tianjin Corporation in China and respond to demands from China.

Rectangular batteries will be supplied from Xi’an battery facilities. While circular batteries’ energy capacity is about 3Ah, rectangular electric car batteries that are produced from Xi’an Corporation are batteries with high voltage and high capacity of 94Ah that is 30 times higher. Xi’an facilities produce 40,000 rectangular batteries per year based on pure electric cars and more than 150,000 rectangular batteries per year based on PHEV. By sequentially investing total of $600 million by 2020, Samsung SDI is planning to expand its production capability and achieve sales of more than $1 billion. 

“Because we do not want to lose our position as a leading company in China’s electric car markets that are rapidly growing, we are supplying circular batteries along with current rectangular batteries.” said President Cho Nam Sung of Samsung SDI. “By actively responding to Chinese customers’ demands of variety of solutions, we are going to target Chinese markets in many different ways.”
Staff Reporter Choi, Ho | [email protected]