Just on the trail of other big battery news in the US (and globally), we’ve got news today from Rivian that it will be getting its batteries from Samsung SDI.
Naturally, the news doesn’t come out of the blue — it’s not like buying new pencils. Rivian and Samsung SDI have been working together as Rivian’s electric vehicles have been getting developed in order to make sure the vehicles are designed well and the vehicles and cells play nicely together. As the two put it, “to ensure robust cell testing and characterization.”
Photo courtesy of Rivian.
Rivian’s R1T pickup and R1S SUV will both use the Samsung SDI battery cells. Considering that these vehicles are designed and marketed to have high performance, good off-roading ability, and deep utility, the partners also note that “the rugged duty cycle requires the module and pack to be designed to operate across challenging temperature and durability extremes.” Samsung SDI has been superb at that for many years, as one of the few top-tier battery suppliers in the EV industry.
“The battery management system has been engineered to intelligently respond to how a vehicle is being operated or charged. Extensive cell characterization testing across a wide range of operating conditions enables the battery management system algorithms to optimize the performance and life of the battery pack.”
Photo by Kyle Field, CleanTechnica.
Samsung SDI batteries are not known for being the cheapest, but they are surely within the ballpark of other major players like CATL, LG Energy Solution, SK Innovation, and Panasonic. What it is known for is creating very high-quality, reliable, high-performance batteries — the ideal match for a premium, performance, utility-focused electric vehicle lineup like Rivian’s.
Also, perhaps seeing the vast potential at Rivian and Amazon (which owns a sizable chunk of Rivian), Samsung SDI offered a sweet deal to get in the door. Of course, we never hear about price per kilowatt-hour of battery capacity these days. Battery producers hold that number close to their chests.
Image courtesy of Rivian.
In any case, Rivian must be psyched at this stage. It is getting much closer to production with this deal. “We’re excited about the performance and reliability of Samsung SDI battery cells combined with our energy-dense module and pack design. Samsung SDI’s focus on innovation and responsible sourcing of battery materials aligns well with our vision,” said Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe.
For some recent Rivian news, see:
- Rivian Planning 10,000 New EV Chargers By 2023
- Rivian Needs To Improve Its Plans For The Adventure Network
- Connecticut Dealerships Are Trying To Block The New EV Freedom Bill — Sign Petition For EV Freedom
For some previous Samsung SDI news, see:
- CATL & LG Chem Are World’s Biggest EV Battery Producers
- Samsung Reveals New Solid State Lithium Metal Battery With 900Wh/L Density
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