SK Signet and SK On sign an MOU to diagnose EV Battery lifespans and residual values with a charger

On November 24, SK Signet and SK On announced that they had signed an MOU in Yeouido, Seoul, where SK Signet’s headquarters are located, to develop a battery diagnosis service utilizing electric vehicle chargers.

Through this agreement, the two companies plan to introduce the new service next year, allowing the users to diagnose the remaining battery life and charge level while charging their electric vehicles with an SK Signet charger. Next year, they also plan to develop diagnostic features for battery residual value estimation.

Since battery condition is related to a vehicle’s residual value and safety, electric vehicle users are always curious on learning about it. It is expected that SK On, a battery manufacturer, and SK Signet, a charger manufacturer, will be able to satisfy customer needs through their joint research. SK Signet will develop chargers that can collect battery data, and SK On will measure and analyze the battery data received from the chargers.

When a user plugs SK Signet’s rapid charger into an electric vehicle, SK On’s BaaS (Battery as a Service) analytics technology measures the battery life and condition in real time. The time required for diagnosis is 30 minutes for a 50kW charger, and the faster the charging speed, the shorter the time. The diagnosis results are displayed on the screen of the charger, currently under development by SK Signet, and also on the smartphone app, planned to be developed by the two companies.

SK On has been developing excellent BaaS analytics technology for battery diagnosis. Over the past three years, SK On has greatly improved its diagnostics performance by analyzing approximately 200 data items from approximately 4,000 electric vehicles.

SK Signet is the world’s second-largest manufacturer of electric vehicle chargers with a market share in the U.S. of about 50% or more for ultra-fast chargers. In cooperation with many domestic and overseas charging station operators (CPO), it offers a customized total solution that includes the installation, operation, and maintenance of charging infrastructure.

SK Signet is planning to complete development and release a new charger next year, equipped with the battery diagnosis function co-developed with SK On. The product’s design will be unveiled at CES 2023 for the first time.

“Through a charger with the function to run battery diagnosis, customers will be able to enjoy a significantly safer electric vehicle lifestyle by checking the battery condition during charging,” Hugh Kim, CTO of SK Signet. He emphasized “By continuously providing a convenient charging experience, the product will practically advance the era of electric vehicles.”

“SK On has been working hard to spread battery diagnosis services and advance the technology,” said Lee Kyung-min, Head of e-Mobility Business Office of SK On. “We’ll continue to work with various partners to develop the infrastructure for the diagnostic services,” he added.