Photo: Ford
Researchers are announcing battery breakthroughs on a monthly basis now, although current production EVs still rely on the old Li-ion tech that’s tried and trusted. Although slower, the progress in production cells is not absent, and the latest tech from SK On is set to improve Ford F-150 Lightning performance rather soon.
Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, but people still expect them to offer more range before considering taking the plunge and buying one. More range often means bigger batteries, but sometimes a more advanced formula can increase energy density without adding weight. Although the advance in battery tech seems slower for production cells, it is still tangible, as Ford’s partner SK On has demonstrated. The Korean battery maker is pushing the barrier further with the new cells it will reveal at CES 2023.
If you’re not familiar with SK On, it’s one of the major global battery suppliers, with clients like Hyundai-Kia, Volkswagen, and Ford, among others. Ford relied on SK On as a battery partner for the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning, and the NMC9 cells used in the latter have proved a game-changer. They were key to F-150 Lightning becoming an accomplished electric truck, even though it was built on a classic ICE platform.
Ford is already working on the second generation of the F-150 Lightning, which will ride on a new dedicated EV platform dubbed TE1. The F-150 Lightning II is scheduled to start production in 2025 at Ford’s BlueOval City in Tennessee, offering better performance thanks to new battery tech developed by SK On. The new cells, named NMC9+, will use an improved chemistry with a high-cobalt formula containing more than 90% cobalt alongside nickel and manganese.
There are few details about the new battery cells, but SK On will showcase them in Las Vegas during CES 2023. According to preliminary information, the new cells are set to offer an even higher energy density compared to the NMC9 cells. They are also set to replace the current NMC9 cells inside the current-generation Ford F-150 Lightning, offering more range and allowing more power. The new cells will also come with a new battery separator (LiBS) and SK On’s exclusive cell-to-pack technology, S-Pack.
Ford is also looking to expand its supplier base and recently announced it will offer the F-150 Lightning with LFP battery cells. Ford plans to increase the F-150 Lightning production capacity to 150,000 units in 2023, while the total BEV production capacity is said to surpass 600,000 vehicles by 2024. We’re not sure whether the new battery tech will incentivize Ford to offer a bigger contract to SK On, but if the new cells are as good as they claim, Ford might want to use them for the high-performance versions of the truck.
If you’re not familiar with SK On, it’s one of the major global battery suppliers, with clients like Hyundai-Kia, Volkswagen, and Ford, among others. Ford relied on SK On as a battery partner for the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning, and the NMC9 cells used in the latter have proved a game-changer. They were key to F-150 Lightning becoming an accomplished electric truck, even though it was built on a classic ICE platform.
Ford is already working on the second generation of the F-150 Lightning, which will ride on a new dedicated EV platform dubbed TE1. The F-150 Lightning II is scheduled to start production in 2025 at Ford’s BlueOval City in Tennessee, offering better performance thanks to new battery tech developed by SK On. The new cells, named NMC9+, will use an improved chemistry with a high-cobalt formula containing more than 90% cobalt alongside nickel and manganese.
There are few details about the new battery cells, but SK On will showcase them in Las Vegas during CES 2023. According to preliminary information, the new cells are set to offer an even higher energy density compared to the NMC9 cells. They are also set to replace the current NMC9 cells inside the current-generation Ford F-150 Lightning, offering more range and allowing more power. The new cells will also come with a new battery separator (LiBS) and SK On’s exclusive cell-to-pack technology, S-Pack.
Ford is also looking to expand its supplier base and recently announced it will offer the F-150 Lightning with LFP battery cells. Ford plans to increase the F-150 Lightning production capacity to 150,000 units in 2023, while the total BEV production capacity is said to surpass 600,000 vehicles by 2024. We’re not sure whether the new battery tech will incentivize Ford to offer a bigger contract to SK On, but if the new cells are as good as they claim, Ford might want to use them for the high-performance versions of the truck.
Google News