Hyundai, Kia and Samsung are working on high-performance batteries for robots

Hyundai Motors, Kia and Samsung SDI want to jointly develop batteries specifically for robots. This is the result of a joint statement issued by the three companies on Tuesday. According to the statement, the focus of the development is on high-performance batteries for service robots. They should keep the robots alive longer than current batteries.

In a declaration of intent, the companies agreed to work together on compact high-performance batteries for robots and to market them jointly. The aim of the initiative is to remove the current restrictions on robot batteries, particularly in terms of size, energy density, performance and service life. There are currently too many restrictions on existing batteries, which have not been specially developed for use in robots.

The batteries would then be produced by Samsung. The company has the capacity to produce them in sufficient quantities. In this way, the three companies also want to ensure that the battery supply for robots is guaranteed. According to the plan, a higher number of batteries produced specifically for this purpose and the targeted market expansion should then also reduce the price.

Development of compact batteries with high power density

The Robotics Lab of Hyundai and Kia will be in charge of the development. Samsung SDI is to contribute its expertise in battery technology. The Robotics Lab's task will also be to evaluate the application and performance increase of the newly developed batteries. Specifically, this involves the maximum charging and discharging performance, the service life and the optimized size for a limited space as well as the energy density, performance and service life.

Samsung SDI is to provide the appropriate materials with high capacity in order to increase the energy density. In addition, a battery design is to be developed that makes the batteries more efficient. The aim is to extend the service life of the batteries, also in order to be competitive in terms of price.

With the robot-specific batteries, Hyundai, Kia and Samsung are addressing the problem that there are currently no compact and lightweight batteries with sufficient energy density for mobile robotics applications. Existing batteries developed for other devices are usually used in robots.

The three companies are planning a joint marketing strategy for the batteries. The plan is to start at the beginning of March at Samsung's InterBattery 2025 exhibition in Seoul. Hyundai Motors and Kia plan to showcase their DAL-e service robot and the MobED mobile robot there. The idea is for the companies to use the robots to demonstrate the growth potential of the robot battery market.

(olb)