Samsung SDI to source battery separators from WCP

Samsung SDI has inked a five-year deal with W-Scope Chungju Plant (WCP) to source lithium-ion battery separators, a core material in making EV batteries.

Samsung SDI's electric car batteries [SAMSUNG SDI]

Samsung SDI has inked a five-year deal with W-Scope Chungju Plant (WCP) to source lithium-ion battery separators, a core material in making EV batteries.

Japan-based W-Scope said it signed the deal with Samsung SDI to supply 4 billion square meters (43 billion square feet) of the separators, enough to be used in batteries for 5.3 million EVs for five years up to 2027. WCP is a separator maker 46 percent owned by W-Scope.

The size of the deal is reported to be around 5 trillion won ($3.8 billion), though the two companies did not confirm the figures.

The separators will be supplied to Samsung SDI’s factories in Korea and the United States. They will be used in 2170 and 46-diameter cylinder batteries.

Battery separators are membranes placed between negative and positive electrodes in batteries to prevent electrical contact between the two, which may result in explosion or ignition. They are a key component in lithium-ion batteries used in EVs.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]