SK opens new EV battery separator factory in China

SK IE Technology (SKIET) began operating its recently completed separator factory in Changzhou, China, to swiftly meet the growing demand in China, which accounts for half of the global EV market.

The Changzhou plant, SKIET’s first overseas production base, ramps up its total capacity to 870 million square meters.

SKIET, a wholly-owned electric vehicle battery material subsidiary under SK Innovation, is also constructing a 340 million square meter production line in Poland.

With an additional plant being completed in China, SKIET's capacity is set to increase to 1.87 billion square meters by 2023.

The company will mass produce separators by the third quarter of 2021 and is aiming for a 30 percent share of the wet separator market by 2025.

Separators are among the four main components of EV batteries with anodes, cathodes, and electrolytes. It keeps cathodes and anodes from reacting with each other to prevent short circuits that may lead to electrolytes catching fire.