“In 2021, almost 6.5 million new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered globally, which is about 108% more than the 3.1 million in 2020.” These are the numbers mentioned in the latest report released on Feb 2 by InsideEVs, quoting EV-Volumes data. It is undeniable that the world is taking big shift into electric vehicles (EV), but more specifically, what are happening the largest three EV market last year, and how is SK Innovation speeding up to compete in these markets?

Let’s check our post to take a closer look at the EV markets in Europe, the U.S., and China, and find the answers for the questions above.

▲ Source: Inside EVs

01ㅣ Booming growth of European EV market

In a press release dated February 2 (local time), Jato Dynamics revealed that the total pure electric passenger cars registered in 2021 across 28 countries in Europe is 1,205,387 units, which is 63% more than the 2020 total, and 3.4 times higher than the number of 2019. The article also quoted a few comments by Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, saying that “EVs now have an established foothold in Europe,” “and despite the challenges last year, their popularity has continued to grow accounting for 10.3% of the market in 2021.” This means on average, one in ten new cars registered in Europe last year was a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV).

The Hungarian local media outlet Origo shared in a report on January 10 (local time) that the number of electric vehicles sold in Hungary in 2021 was 4,311 units, increased by 41.53% YoY. When taking into account the fact that the entire sales of new vehicles in Hungary were decreased by 4.8%, compared to 2020, this is a result worthy of paying attention to. Regarding this, the Hungarian automotive media Vezess reported that this trend was influenced by governmental grants, tax cut benefits, and the rise of oil prices.

Living up to its reputation as a leading EV battery/material corporation, SK Innovation has made preemptive investments in European market as it constructed key production bases in Hungary and Poland.

▲ SK On’s EV battery Plant 1 (left) and Plant 2 (right) located in Komarom, Hungary

SK On, SK Innovation’s battery-business subsidiary, started its EV battery production plant with an annual capacity of 7.5GWh at Komarom, Hungary, in January 2020. Last year, it expedited the construction of Plant 2 in Komara, which has an annual production scale of 9.8GWh. Furthermore, in January 2021, SK Innovation decided to construct Plant 3 in Hungary, and this new plant will to be capable of producing 30GWh* annually. The third EV plant in Europe of SK On is a long-term project, injected with a successive investment worth USD 2.3 billion by 2028.

▲ (Left) SK IE Technology’s LiBS production plant in Poland / (Right) The Lithium-ion Battery Separators (LiBS) produced by SK IE Technology

Regarding Lithium-ion Battery Separators (LiBS), the core material of EV battery cell, SK IE Technology (a subsidiary of SK Innovation) has set a foothold in the European market. In August last year, the company began commercial operation of its first LiBS plant in Silesia Province, Poland. Besides, the construction of Plant 2, which is capable of having an annual production capacity of 340 million m², is underway, aiming to start commercial operation in 2023. The construction of Plant 3 and Plant 4, which respectively has a production capacity of 430 million m², started in July last year. All in all, SK IE Technology is expected to have a global production capacity scale of 2,730 million m², including plants in Korea, China, and Europe.

02ㅣContinuous growth of American EV Market boosted by the popularity of electric pickup trucks

On December 16, 2021 (local time), Reuters released an article citing some opinions regarding the potential of EV market in the U.S. by Edmunds, an online car shopping website and industry consultant. Edmunds predicted that “The U.S. EV market will continue to see growth and will surpass 600,000 units in 2022,” adding that Ford Motor’s F-150 Lightning “will be the champion of the segment.”

F-150 Lightning is Ford’s flagship EV pickup truck that is soon to be released in spring this year. The series will be using NCM9 battery, which was first developed in the world by SK Innovation and known to have the highest level of performance among existing lithium-ion batteries.

▲ (Left) Ford’s F-150 Lightning EV pickup truck displayed at SK Innovation’s booth at InterBattery 2021 / (Right) SK Innovation’s NCM9 battery cell

Moreover, SK On founded a joint venture, BlueOvalSK, with Ford in September last year and decided to build EV battery manufacturing facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee. The Tennessee plant will be built at Ford’s 3,600 acre Blue Oval City with annual capacity of 43 GWh. The plants in Kentucky will occupy the site of 1,500 acre with a production capacity of 86 GWh per year (2 units with 43GWh capacity). This means SK On will be able to secure the production capacity of 150GWh in the U.S.

▲ (Left) SK Innovation’s EV battery production plants in the U.S. / (Right) SK Innovation’s EV battery in Georgia, the U.S.

03ㅣChina keeps its steady position as the world’s largest EV market

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, about 3.52 million electric cars were sold in China. This equals 13% (including PHEVs) of the entire vehicle sales volume, and demonstrated a doubled growth compared to 2020.

SK IE Technology predicted the growth of the EV market in China and founded SKBMC (SK hi-tech Battery Materials China) in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, as its foothold for global battery production. SKBMC launched the commercial operation of Plant 1, which produces separators, including LiBS, in November 2020, and of Plant 2 in April last year. Therefore, SK IE Technology has secured a production capacity of 510 million m² in China alone. In other words, it can produce separators needed for producing 500,000 high-capacity EVs annually.

▲ (Left) The LiBS plant of SK IE Technology located in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China / (Right) ‘BEST’, SK Innovation’s manufacturing base for EV battery cells under a joint venture with Beijing Automotive Group and Beijing Electronics, also located in Changzhou, Jiangsu, China

In addition, through a joint venture with Beijing Automotive Group and Beijing Electronics Holding, SK On also operates BEST(北电爱思 特(江苏)科技有限公司) plant, an EV manufacturing facility with annual capacity of 7.5GWh in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province.