South Korean battery manufacturers are increasingly actively researching the robotics market

How batteries for robots are changing the strategy of South Korean manufacturers

Although global electric‑vehicle sales statistics show growth, many market participants already predict a slowdown in demand and even a decline. Suppliers of traction batteries are taking this trend into account in their plans and increasingly consider opportunities to develop business in robotics – as leading Korean battery makers do.

Key consumers
The largest customers for batteries remain electric vehicles and stationary energy‑storage systems. Their demand is being boosted by the rapid development of artificial intelligence. However, as analysts at Nikkei Asian Review note, humanoid robots require different, more expensive batteries than those used in cars.

LG Energy Solution – a leader among robotic batteries
LG Energy Solution is already ahead of competitors and offers the six largest robotics companies cylindrical cells with high energy density, low weight, and excellent endurance under cyclic loading. For humanoid robots battery lightness is crucial: they consume energy not only for movement and manipulation but also for local computing. The company is negotiating with a large number of potential customers across a wide range of robotic solutions.

Samsung SDI – strategic partnerships
Although Samsung SDI has lower turnover than LG, it already works with Hyundai Motor Group, which owns the U.S. robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics. The market for robot batteries is still small, but the average selling price is higher, and the need for deep customization to a specific client creates more reliable ties with the supplier. According to Nomura forecasts, battery prices for robots in 2030 could range from $200 to $350 per kWh – two to three times higher than traction batteries for electric vehicles.

Growth prospects
Robotics should become almost ubiquitous in the coming years, and the market will grow. By the end of the decade an annual production of 1 to 3 GWh of robot batteries is expected – still a small share compared with 1,647 GWh for electric vehicles and 750 GWh for stationary storage systems. In the near future the stationary storage segment will have the greatest impact on battery manufacturers’ revenues, while the growth rate of the robotics market remains less predictable.

Current challenges
South Korean traction‑battery producers, heavily dependent on the U.S. electric‑vehicle market, recorded multi‑million losses in the last quarter due to falling demand. This is partly caused by the end of subsidies from U.S. authorities, which increased pressure on battery manufacturers and forced them to seek new growth directions – one of which is now robotics.