SB LiMotive was a 50:50 joint company of
Bosch and
Samsung SDI
Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. () is a battery and electronic materials manufacturer headquartered in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Samsung SDI operates its business with Energy Solutions and Electronic Materials segment. The Energy Solution segment ma ...
founded in June 2008. The joint venture developed and manufactured lithium-ion batteries for use in
hybrid
Hybrid may refer to:
Science
* Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding
** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species
** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
-,
plug-in hybrid vehicle
A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...
s and
electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes cha ...
s. It was officially ended in September 2012 with both companies focusing on automotive batteries alone.
Milestones
In September 2008, SB LiMotive Co. Ltd. started its operations in
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. About one month later, the German subsidiary SB LiMotive Germany GmbH was founded. In July 2009, SB LiMotive acquired US-American battery manufacturer
Cobasys LLC. The groundbreaking of the cell manufacturing plant in Ulsan, Korea was two months later. In November 2010, the plant's inauguration took place.
Locations
Headquarters and cell development are located in
Yongin
Yongin () is a city in the Seoul Capital Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the count ...
,
Gyeonggi-do
Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. At the second Korean site in
Ulsan
Ulsan (), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighboring ...
, the cell manufacturing plant was constructed in just 9 months. Lithium-ion cells for pre-series projects are being manufactured there since 2010 and series production will start in 2011. In
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
-Feuerbach, Germany, battery systems are developed and prototypes built. At its location in Germany, SB LiMotive has also built up a global team for sales, marketing, and management of key accounts. In 2009, SB LiMotive acquired the U.S. company
Cobasys
Cobasys LLC supplies nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, battery control systems, and packaged solutions for automotive applications, uninterruptable power supplies, telecommunications applications, and distributed power generation. For 8 year ...
with its two sites in
Orion Township, Michigan
Orion Charter Township ( ) is a charter township of Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The population was 39,816 as on July 1, 2019.
The official motto of the township and village is "Where living is a vacation". "Lake Orion" is often used ...
, and
Springboro, Ohio
Springboro is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. A suburb of Cincinnati and Dayton, it is located mostly in Warren County in Clearcreek and Franklin Townships; with a small portion in Miami Township in Montgomery County. The city is part of th ...
.
Nickel-metal hydride batteries are being manufactured there and the location is now also used to support customers with the engineering of lithium-ion battery packs. At all locations, SB LiMotive employs worldwide some 700 associates in total (as of end of 2010).
Portfolio
SB LiMotive provides lithium-ion energy storage solutions from single cells to complete battery systems. They can be used in all vehicles from micro-hybrid to full electric vehicles. Additionally, the joint venture supports its customers with engineering services for software, battery management services and cooling systems.
Ownership Structure
SB LiMotive is a 50:50 joint venture between Samsung SDI and Robert Bosch GmbH. Mr. Jingun Lee is President of SB LiMotive and Dr. Joachim Fetzer is Executive Vice President.
Customers
SB LiMotive will supply lithium-ion battery cells to BMW for its electric vehicles, which are part of the "Megacity Vehicle" project. The German automaker will install the battery cells into the EVs, which will go into series production in 2013.
Secondly, SB LiMotive will supply complete lithium-ion battery systems for the Fiat 500 EV. The battery system will be developed in Orion, Michigan, the production of cells will be in Ulsan, and the assembly of the battery pack will be in Springboro, Ohio /USA. Chrysler intends to bring the Fiat 500EV to the US market from 2012 on. The drive train consists of a high power electric powertrain module, advanced lithium-ion battery and an EV control
unit to manage power flows. Vehicle and powertrain will be developed at Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
[Press Information SB LiMotive, 8 November 2010: SB LiMotive to provide lithium-ion battery packs for FIAT 500EV]
Dissolution
In March 2012, after four years, the dissolution of the joint venture was announced. Bosch received about 45 million Euros from Samsung, while Samsung kept the lithium-ion cell production site in Ulsan and the development center in Giheung. Bosch absorbed the battery-system business section in Stuttgart-Feuerbach. American company Cobasys LLC was integrated into Bosch. The partners agreed to a mutual access to their about 3000 patents.
See also
*
List of electric vehicle battery manufacturers
List
See also
* Electric vehicle battery
* List of production battery electric vehicles
References
External linksList of Electric Vehicle Battery Manufacturers February 2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Electric vehicle battery manufacturers
Batte ...
*
Electric vehicle battery
An electric vehicle battery (EVB, also known as a traction battery) is a rechargeable battery used to power the electric motors of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). Typically lithium-ion batteries, they are spec ...
References
External links
{{Bosch
Samsung subsidiaries
Electric vehicle battery manufacturers
Electronics companies established in 2008
2008 establishments in South Korea
Electronics companies disestablished in 2012
2012 disestablishments in South Korea