InterBattery 2025 to feature innovations through collaborations

By Park Jae-hyuk

Korea's leading battery manufacturers are preparing joint marketing campaigns with companies from various sectors to attract visitors to the upcoming three-day InterBattery 2025 trade show, which will commence on Wednesday in Seoul.

SK On, the battery manufacturing arm of SK Group, said Monday that it will showcase immersion cooling technology for electric vehicles (EVs) in collaboration with SK Enmove, the group's lubricant producing unit.

Immersion cooling refers to a thermal management system that cools heat-generating components by directly immersing them in thermal fluids. Since the coolant directly contacts the battery cells, it can effectively suppress temperature rise compared to indirect cooling systems using air or water.

The technology is also well known for improving battery life by reducing temperature variations between battery cells.

SK On said that a battery pack incorporating immersion cooling technology, currently under joint development with SK Enmove, can enhance cooling efficiency with an optimized fluid flow structure design that maximizes the contact area between thermal fluids and cells.

With its independently developed wireless battery management system (BMS), the battery maker plans to improve the battery pack's cooling and waterproof performance, as well as its energy density.

The company explained that conventional BMS using wires limits space efficiency, disrupts the flow of thermal fluids and affects cooling performance.

"We expect to see growing demand for wireless BMS and immersion cooling as the importance of safety increases with rising EV penetration rate," said Park Ki-soo, head of SK On's R&D division. "As we aim to lead in battery safety solutions, SK On will continue to contribute to electrification through technological innovation."

Samsung SDI will exhibit DAL-e and MobED, robots developed by Hyundai Motor Group Robotics LAB and equipped with the battery maker's 21700 cylindrical batteries.

This is the first time for Samsung SDI to carry out a joint marketing campaign with Hyundai Motor Group at InterBattery. On Feb. 24, the battery maker signed a memorandum of understanding with the automotive group to develop batteries tailored for robots.

ROii, a level 4 autonomous bus developed by A2Z, a Korean autonomous driving startup, will also be on display at Samsung SDI's exhibition booth.

Samsung SDI said that visitors will be able to learn about innovation in future mobility through the virtual riding of ROii, which also uses the battery maker's 21700 cylindrical batteries.

"We hope visitors will explore the present and future of Samsung SDI's batteries by experiencing the various form factors, product lineups, and collaborative works with our customers, which will, for sure, enhance our daily lives," a Samsung SDI official said.