Samsung SDI: we have cheaper and more capacious Li-ion cells, they will be in BMW in 2021

Samsung SDI, a manufacturer of Lithium-Ion cells, among others, predicts that the market for cells used in plug-in vehicles (BEV, PHEV) in 2020 will be 176 GWh. It's also announcing new 5th-generation elements that will offer 20 percent more capacity while still being 20 percent cheaper – to be taken over by BMW in 2021.

Samsung's new SDI cells: NCA 811 instead of NMC 622?

Samsung SDI currently produces lithium-ion cells with NMC 622 cathodes (nickel-manganese-cobalt in a ratio of 60-20-20), but the company claims to reduce the content of expensive cobalt and increase the amount of nickel. The new elements are likely NCA (Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum) 811, although exact proportions are not specified.

Cells of the 5th generation announced by Samsung should appear at the same time. more spacious and cheaper than the current version. One of the editors of Bloomberg New Energy Finance, who raised the topic (source), said the information is in line with the forecasts for the purchase price of cells in 2021. BNEF predicts that the price per kilowatt-hour of power will drop to $ 1 next time. year.

The first shipments of new Samsung SDI cells are planned for next year. They will then move on to BMW vehicles.

> BMW i3 with twice the battery capacity "from this year to 2030"

During the conference call with Samsung shareholders, SDI also provided other important information. Well, it has been calculated that in 2020 the whole market cells for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will amount to 176 GWh, which means an increase of 55 percent year on year (source). Assuming that the average battery capacity in a car is 50 kWh, 176 GWh is enough to produce 3,5 million vehicles, which is a notable amount.