SK Innovation goes to CES in Las Vegas with tech for cars

A computer image of SK Innovation’s section of SK Group’s CES booth. [SK INNOVATION]

SK Innovation will show off an array of component technologies for cars of the future at this year’s CES trade show in Las Vegas, from electric vehicle (EV) batteries to lubricants that can cool down battery packs.

This will be the company’s second time at the annual trade show. It will share a booth with three other SK affiliates.

The oil refiner has been investing heavily in EV batteries as a future growth engine and is now Korea’s third-largest supplier of rechargeable batteries.

At CES 2020, the company will show its component technology for cars of the future under a new slogan, “SK Inside.” The lineup will include SK’s EV battery, lightweight materials, lubricants optimized for electric vehicles and flexible displays that can be used in infotainment systems.

“The goal is to send the message that SK Innovation can be a one-stop partner for everything that goes into future cars,” said a company spokesman.

Along with its batteries, SK will also show its lithium ion battery separators - an essential component that divides the poles. SK was the third company in the world to succeed in developing the product, it says. Details about its battery technology will be displayed on a large screen at the company’s booth.

SK Innovation CEO Kim Jun last May described the company’s ambitions for battery technology. In Las Vegas next week, the company said it will put on display more concrete examples of how its batteries can shape other means of future transport when used in planes, trains and ships.

Other future auto parts to be shown are materials including car frames, bumpers, door trims and tires made by the oil refiner’s subsidiary, SK Global Chemical. The main way to increase efficiency in battery-powered cars is to reduce the weight of other components, which the company is focusing on.

Another subsidiary, SK Lubricants, will introduce products optimized for EVs. Battery-powered cars will require lubricants with slightly different characteristics, explained an SK spokesman.

“The temperature that ensures stable battery operation in cars is between 15 to 35 degrees Celsius [59 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit]. Batteries can overheat, and reducing the temperature is the role of lubricants. Our products for EVs are developed to be optimized in that environment,” it said.

SK Group’s booth at CES will also show products and business plans in the mobility sector for SK Telecom, SK Hynix and SKC. The booth is eight times the size of last year’s.

BY SONG KYOUNG-SON [song.kyoungson@joongang.co.kr]