배터리 셀투바디(Cell to Body) 기법이 전기차 파운드리를 가속화시킨다라는 주제로 전기차 제작이 향후 파운드리화 될 것이라는 전망에 대해 김필수 대림대 교수(김필수 자동차연구소 소장)의 이야기를 들어보자.
Electric vehicle manufacturing becomes widespread, transforming the field into one that anyone can enter
Electric vehicle foundry market, fierce battle for leadership expected in the future

About 40% of the cost of electric vehicles is battery cost. This means that battery prices determine electric vehicles. Therefore, the future of electric vehicles lies with batteries. The electric vehicle market has grown rapidly over the past 10 years, and batteries have grown along with it. Of course, since the end of last year, the growth of electric vehicles has been temporarily delayed due to the 'electric vehicle chasm' that has occurred, and battery growth is also slowing down.
This means that there are still many issues to be resolved, as the cost-effectiveness of electric vehicles is still lower than that of internal combustion engine vehicles. In other words, the price of electric vehicles is about twice that of internal combustion engine vehicles, charging infrastructure is insufficient, and technical limitations are also emerging, such as shorter driving distances as temperatures drop in winter. In Korea, as damage from large-scale electric vehicle fires increased last summer, a vague negative fear of electric vehicles, called “electric vehicle phobia,” is also occurring, which is even more worrisome.
In this situation, recent efforts are to launch low-priced electric vehicles. With Chinese manufacturers including BYD and Tesla, and Hyundai and Kia joining in, the launch of low-priced electric vehicles is becoming a factor in accelerating the era of future electric vehicles. As part of these efforts, increasing the energy density of electric vehicle batteries while lowering their price has become a key factor.
The current battery world is made up of LFP batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries based in China, and ternary NCM batteries, lithium-ion batteries mainly used for Western supply centered on Korea and Japan. In particular, LFP batteries are popular because of their low price, but techniques have been developed to maximize space and increase energy density by increasing low energy density. One of these is the recently applied Cell to Pack technique. Generally, batteries are made up of cells gathered together to make modules, and a pack that goes into an electric vehicle is made up of about 20 to 50 modules. On the other hand, the Cell to Pack technique eliminates the intermediate module and utilizes the space to directly fill it with cells and configure it as a pack, which can be said to increase energy density by about 10 to 20%.
Recently, a Cell to Body method has been developed that skips this process and attaches the cell directly to the body, skipping the module stage as it progresses from cell to pack. This is a method in which the battery and the body become one. Of course, the energy density is higher, the space utilization is improved, and the price can be lowered at the same time. Of course, electric vehicle fires are also more positive because the heat diffusion speed and heat runaway are lower than NCM batteries, so their use is spreading.
Of course, NCM batteries are also trying to differentiate themselves from LFP batteries by applying similar methods. Recently, CATL, the world's No. 1 battery company in China, began developing a body equipped with a battery using the cell-to-body technique it developed and supplying it to manufacturers. This means that the electric vehicle foundry that I have been emphasizing for about 7-8 years has begun in earnest. Just as foundry means semiconductor consignment manufacturing, electric vehicle foundry is a method of building core electric vehicle components such as batteries, motors, and inverters on the floor and supplying them to companies in need. In other words, this company puts a new cover around the supplied electric vehicle foundry and inputs the optimal algorithm, and a new electric vehicle is born. This electric vehicle foundry means that anyone can produce an electric vehicle as the open platform becomes widespread.
As electric vehicles become more widespread, it is said that they will change from being exclusive to global automakers in the past to an area that anyone can enter. Not only CATL, but also Foxconn and BYD in Taiwan, and even Hyundai Motor Group are said to be rushing to prepare for this. The reason Hyundai signed an agreement with Waymo, a global leader in autonomous driving technology, a few months ago is that it is conducting an autonomous driving foundry. In other words, it means that it will provide an entire electric vehicle foundry armed with hardware functions such as various cameras and lidar sensors based on the Ioniq 5, tailored to make autonomous driving easy to apply. Of course, electric vehicle foundries are divided into various levels. There is a level 1 foundry consisting of batteries and motors, a method of adding basic software on top of it, and a method of adding high-precision algorithms and data as an upper concept, so you can choose a foundry from among various levels.
In the near future, global automakers will also internalize batteries and manufacture and supply them on their own, but battery manufacturers will also manufacture and supply electric vehicles at the same level, entering a domain where each company has no territory. In the case of CATL, mentioned earlier, it is said that the most advanced electric vehicle foundry will begin in earnest along with BYD. One of the companies that is not visible above the water but has prepared well in advance is Taiwan's Foxconn. Of course, over the years, Apple has been developing the Apple Car based on the know-how of contract manufacturing for Apple's iPhone, and has subsequently started developing electric vehicles. Currently, it has developed about 5 types of electric vehicles, and about 2 types are already being sold in Taiwan. The most important business theme is the electric vehicle foundry. Although the development of the Apple Car has been discontinued, it can be said that it is practically a postponement, so it is said that it is preparing an electric vehicle foundry for Apple as well as global companies at any time.
As Hyundai Motor Group is also well prepared for this, I am sure that the electric vehicle foundry market, which is emerging as a new field as well as its own brand of electric vehicles, will be a key area in the future and there will be fierce competition for leadership. It is expected that not only Hyundai Motor Group but also the three battery companies in Korea will have to hurry up and prepare for this. This is because electric vehicles are a new market entry without a barrier for automobiles.
As we examine the electric vehicle foundry market that is gradually rising above the water, it is expected that all additional mobility foundries, such as UAM and humanoid robots, will also attract attention.