KG Mobility in negotiations over joint battery plant with BYD
KG Mobility, formerly Ssangyong, is negotiating with BYD to build a battery cell factory in South Korea. KG Mobility has confirmed the plans in principle, but details such as the location and capacity still need to be decided.
The Korea Economic Daily broke the news and said series production at the new factory is scheduled to begin in January 2025. The paper cites information from industry insiders. The project would be the first joint factory between a foreign battery cell manufacturer and a local automaker in South Korea. Industry sources expect the factory to be built near the KG Mobility plant in Pyeongtaek, about 80 kilometres southwest of Seoul.
KG Mobility plans to install BYD’s LFP batteries in its second electric vehicle, the Torres EVX electric SUV, set to hit South Korea in September and headed for export at a later date. According to the new report, the automaker also plans to use BYD’s batteries in two future models: an electric pickup codenamed O100EV, to be unveiled in 2025, and a large electric SUV codenamed SUV-F100EV.
South Korean automaker Ssangyong was renamed KG Mobility last spring after the takeover by conglomerate KG. The company has already launched the Korando e-Motion. As with the Torres EVX, this is a BEV offshoot with a combustion model as its base. The company is planning three more models, specifically the two O100EV mentioned above and F100EV and a compact SUV called the KR10EV. However, KG is developing its own EV platform for these.
As far as the BYD battery for the Torres EVX is concerned, it is known so far that it should have an energy content of 73.4 kWh and ensure a WLTP range of around 500 kilometres. KG Mobility and BYD are said to have been working together on the development of batteries since 2021.
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