LG is revolutionizing batteries with dry coating technology. And it already has a date: 2028

LG is poised to take the lead in electric vehicle batteries. CATL’s reign and Chinese dominance are clear at the moment, but the South Korean manufacturer has a spearhead up its sleeve to try to catch up. And they’ve already set a date for when that will happen.

Ready for mass production in 2028. The date was confirmed by Kim Je-Young, CTO of LG Energy Solution. To BloombergThis was during an interview at the company’s headquarters. The manufacturer explained that these new batteries will begin testing them on the production line on a pilot basis by the end of this year, with a timetable set for the start of large-scale production in 2028.

This is the first time LG has set a date for what is expected to be the next big generation of electric vehicle batteries.

Dry paint. LG’s battery technology is still lithium-based and still has an anode and a cathode. The basics don’t change, but the way they’re made does.

This is a dry coating technique, which allows electrodes to be manufactured without the need to wet or dry them afterwards. This step saves a very expensive step both in energy and in chemical solvents.

Up to 30% cheaper and 15% smaller. LG isn’t the only company looking into this technology. Volkswagen AG and PowerCO are also developing dry-coating batteries and say they represent a real revolution.

according to Power Co DataThis new technology has the potential to save 30% energy, which practically translates into a 30% cost saving. He also explained that the manufacturing space required Reduced by 15%A figure that Bloomberg increases to 50%. Beyond the percentages that were finally achieved in the final process, the jump is very significant.

And less requirements in factories. While currently battery manufacturing requires huge ovens and the use of toxic solvents, with the dry coating method this part is eliminated, which will also allow battery factories to have much more space.

10 years of research to achieve what Tesla couldn’t. Maybe it wasn’t the right time. In 2019, Tesla bought the manufacturer Maxwell Technologies for $219 million, specifically to use the dry coating technology on its 4,680 batteries, but it couldn’t get it off the ground.

According to LG’s Je-Young, to achieve this, they started this research “10 years ago.” A long time in which they claim to be ready to move to the stage of mass production.

In addition to Tesla, other companies like CATL, Panasonic or Svolt are working on this technology for their batteries, but LG has gone ahead with a long-awaited announcement: there is finally a date to start production.

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