The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on May 11 that the 8th Mobility Innovation Committee approved 16 agenda items, including demonstrations for an “EV battery subscription service” and “vehicle operation in Gwangju’s autonomous driving demonstration city.” South Korean consumers will be able to purchase only the vehicle body of an electric vehicle and lease the expensive battery separately. In addition, 200 autonomous vehicles to be deployed in Gwangju’s autonomous driving demonstration city will be eligible to apply for temporary operation permits without undergoing the self-certification process.

SMM May 12: Dealers in Zhejiang reported that demand in the e-bike lead-acid battery market was sluggish, with battery sales weakening. Current battery inventory stood at nearly one month, and the battery wholesale market had yet to see sales promotions, with the main model 48V12Ah priced at 280-300 yuan/set. Manufacturers in Jiangsu reported that the off-season trend in the e-bike lead-acid battery market intensified, with dealers showing poor purchasing enthusiasm. Finished battery inventory saw a buildup, and factory operating rates had dropped to around 70%, with plans to halt production for holidays going forward. Manufacturers in Jiangxi reported that replacement demand in the e-bike lead-acid battery market was sluggish, with finished product orders declining further compared to April. Current factory operating rates remained at 70%. Additionally, lead prices fell today, and on the raw material side, they were considering buying the dip.

[Client Orders Stalled, Panasonic EV Battery Production Delayed Again] Panasonic Holdings' subsidiary Panasonic Energy once again postponed its mass production plan for a new-type EV battery, as it is currently awaiting formal purchase orders from its major client. Panasonic Energy stated in July last year that it was waiting for the client's final feedback on the battery and planned to begin mass production by month-end of March. According to people familiar with the matter, as of now, Panasonic Energy has still not received production approval from the client.

After InterBattery in March, the strategic focus of South Korea's battery industry has been expanding from high-nickel EV batteries to ESS, LFP, AI data centers, and safety. Battery-related conferences in April also indicated that AI-driven R&D, LFP process innovation, next-generation batteries for diverse application scenarios, and improvements in safety and reliability are becoming major directions. This means the standard for "high-end" is expanding from energy density to system reliability, operational stability, supply chain transparency, and AI-driven management capabilities.

SMM April 28: Dealers in Jiangsu reported that replacement demand in the e-bike lead-acid battery market was sluggish, battery inventory was digesting slowly, and raw material costs such as lead ingots stayed high. The customary sales promotions in the battery market had yet to materialize, with the current wholesale price of the mainstream model 48V12Ah maintained at 280-300 yuan/set. Manufacturers in Zhejiang reported that demand in the e-bike lead-acid battery market was weak, dealers were cautious in procurement, and with the Labour Day holiday approaching, factories plan to shut down for 5 days. In addition, they plan to hold off on additional stockpiling of raw material lead before the holiday. Manufacturers in Shandong reported that the e-bike lead-acid battery market was in the off-season, with poor finished product orders. To avoid inventory buildup, factories maintained operating rates at 50-60%, and raw material lead was purchased only through just-in-time procurement.

Hyundai Motor Group will begin testing a subscription model that separates electric vehicle batteries from vehicle ownership. The group said on April 28 that Hyundai Motor and Hyundai Capital will launch a pilot battery subscription service for corporate taxis in the first half of this year. The pilot will target five IONIQ 5 corporate taxis in the Seoul metropolitan area whose battery warranty periods have expired. Under the program, participating vehicles will use batteries through a monthly subscription fee instead of purchasing them outright. When battery replacement is needed, the existing battery will be returned and another battery will be supplied.

Seosan City, Korea, announced that it has signed an investment agreement with SK On to establish an ESS battery production facility. Under the agreement, SK On will invest KRW 58.7 billion to convert part of its existing EV battery plant in the Seosan Auto Valley industrial complex into an ESS battery production facility. A 3 GWh-scale LFP battery production line for ESS will be installed within the site.

According to news from the Haidong Industrial Park, on April 20, the key project introduced by the Haidong Industrial Park in Qinghai Province — the sodium-ion battery and energy storage equipment manufacturing project of Qinghai Zhaorui New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. — officially broke ground.

[Study Finds EVs Outperform Comparable Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles in Crash Safety] Despite ongoing consumer concerns about EV battery safety, particularly the risk of fire after collisions, real-world test data from independent organizations such as Euro NCAP, ASEAN NCAP, and NHTSA showed that EVs are progressively establishing new safety standards, with their crash test performance generally surpassing that of comparable internal combustion engine vehicles. This advantage of EVs is not coincidental but stems from design philosophies and technical architectures that are fundamentally different from those of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.

Samsung SDI has entered into a multi-year agreement with Mercedes-Benz to supply high-nickel NCM batteries for the automaker’s next-generation electric vehicles. This marks the first time Samsung SDI has provided automotive power batteries to Mercedes-Benz. The two companies held a signing ceremony in Seoul. Under the agreement, the supplied batteries will feature high energy density, long range, long lifespan and high power, and will be equipped with Samsung SDI’s proprietary safety technologies. Mercedes-Benz plans to use these batteries in its future compact and mid-size all-electric SUVs and coupe models. In addition, the two companies will expand their strategic cooperation by jointly developing next-generation power battery technologies.