SAMSUNG SDI wins the President’s Award for the IR52 Jang Young-Shil Award for its project, ‘High Performance xEV Cell Development for Electric Vehicles.’ This award is granted to the most outstanding product among the 52 products that receive the IR52 Jang Young-Shil Award annually. The award recognizes SAMSUNG SDI’s advanced battery cell technologies, including high energy density, ultra-fast charging capabilities, and excellent safety. Let’s dive deeper into the development story of SAMSUNG SDI’s prismatic battery through interviews with the three lead contributors of the award-winning projects. 

 [Vice President Tae-ahn Kim, Pro Jung-yeon Won, and Pro Jae-hyeon Eom (from left) won the President’s Award for the IR52 Jang Young-Shil Award for ‘High Performance xEV Cell Development for EVs’.]

Q. Congratulations on winning the President’s Award for the IR52 Jang Young-Shil Award. How did you feel upon hearing the news?

Vice President Tae-ahn Kim) Thank you. I didn’t realize it that much at first, but over time I am feeling happier.

I believe the award acknowledges that SAMSUNG SDI is heading in the right direction in EV battery development. We will continue securing competitiveness by further advancing our technologies such as prismatic battery’s form factor, high energy density, fast-changing technologies, and safety.

[Vice President Tae-ahn Kim led the high performance xEV cell development for EVs.]

Pro Jae-hyeon Eom) This award is a great honor for me personally and for all our team members. We faced many challenges and invested a lot of effort on the way. It was not an easy path, but I think winning the award definitely paid off. I am especially glad that our technological capabilities at SAMSUNG SDI have been recognized. 

Pro Jung-yeon Won) I have spent 8 years as the lead for this award-winning project. This recognition feels like a reward for all that effort. Currently, SAMSUNG SDI is collaborating with various automotive OEMS. I hope this award will further promote our technological excellence and lead to more partnership opportunities. 

Q. You won the award for ‘High Capacity, Fast-Changing Prismatic Cell Development for EVs’. What was the background behind starting this project?

Vice President Tae-ahn Kim) In 2016, we received a development request from a client for a premium EV battery. Premium vehicles require high-spec components. Although the requested specifications were demanding compared to the industry standard at the time, we took on the challenge with a mindset of ‘Nothing is Impossible’

Pro Jung-yeon Won) At the time, the required spec was/ The client requested fast charging in 20 minutes and output over 2kW. At the time, SAMSUNG SDI offered 30-minute fast charging and 1.2kW output, so there were lots of doubts. But through continued effort, we finally made it.

[Pro Jung-yeon Won considered how he could meet the clients’ high expectations.]

Q. The project achieved ‘world’s highest energy density of 650Wh/L and ’high output with low resistance and 20-minute fast charging’. Can you briefly explain the significance of these results? 

Vice President Tae-ahn Kim) These numbers may seem standard now, but at first, achieving ’20-minute fast charging’ and ‘650Wh/L energy density’ was extremely challenging. It required completely new innovations in everything from materials to processing techniques. Looking back, the efforts to achieve these goals has allowed SAMSUNG SDI to elevate overall technological capabilities. 

Pro Jae-hyeon Eom) Back then, there were no cells exceeding 100A. To develop a high capacity cell, not only my team but also research center and multiple related departments collaborated. Although we faced unexpected challenges during development, we overcame them through teamwork and successfully completed the project. 

[Pro Jae-hyeon Eom could make high density cells through collaboration with related departments.]

Q. As EV battery capacity increases, safety becomes even more critical. What aspects did you focus on to ensure safety?

Vice President Tae-ahn Kim) Balancing energy density and safety is not easy, but SAMSUNG SDI’s EV cells strike that balance well. In particular we focused heavily on preventing thermal propagation. This project was the first to apply new insulation materials, which significantly enhanced our module’s safety one step further.

Pro Jae-hyeon Eom) We focused on preventing thermal propagation that could occur when high capacity cells become modules. We leveraged the prismatic battery’s structural characteristics, including vents to release gas and flame, to maximize safety. We also considered spacing and material placement between cells within modules. As a result, this project laid a strong foundation for SAMSUNG SDI’s safety technologies. Currently, we apply No TP technology to ensure a high level of safety. 

[Pro Jung-yeon Won, Vice President Tae-ahn Kim and Pro Jae-hyeon Eom (from left) are discussing the development path forward for EV batteries.]

Q. Do you have any memorable episodes?

Pro Jung-yeon Won) I was struggling at the sample production stage. I conducted a test in M line to verify the ability to mass produce after the development, but unexpected issues emerged that hadn’t occurred on the development line. Our team worked nearly 3 weeks staying up all night to solve the problems. When we finally solved them after many trials and errors, I felt beyond thrilling.

Q. Do you have any last words to share with your colleagues? 

Pro Jae-hyeon Eom) Although the three of us won the award, this is the result of so many colleagues’ efforts. Teams including AEB)Cell Development Team, AEB)System Development Team, AEB)PA Team and AEB)PE Team all collaborated to achieve the outcome. I’d like to thank everyone involved and hope they can share in this honor as well.

[SAMSUNG SDI’s employees speed up to achieve the best technological capabilities.]

Q. Please briefly share SAMSUNG SDI’s future plan and goals. 

Vice President Tae-ahn Kim) SAMSUNG SDI has been developing prismatic batteries since the 1990s, and we’ve accumulated extensive know-how and technologies over the years. Especially, our strength becomes even clearer when talking about the mass production, not the development part.

With few companies capable of delivering high-quality prismatic batteries, we see this as not a crisis, but a crucial opportunity. We will overcome challenges through continuous R&D and technological capabilities. 

Pro Jung-yeon Won) Every time we take on a challenging project, SAMSUNG SDI’s technological level rises. That’s why the spirit of aiming for ever-higher goals is important. As lithium-ion battery technology has matured, achieving these goals now requires mastering micro-level details. Even small differences can create technological differentiation. 

[Pro Jung-yeon Won, Vice President Tae-ahn Kim and Pro Jae-hyeon Eom (from left) are proactively navigating for technological growth of SAMSUNG SDI’s prismatic cells]