Vinfast and ProLogium signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to set up a joint venture to produce automotive solid-state battery (SSB) packs for Vinfast's EVs.
Vinfast, as Vietnam's first national car brand, would like to introduce its first electric cars in 2023-2024 and recently announced three SUVs models. It seems that they could be equipped with SSB cells right from the start.
The plan is to use ProLogium solid-state battery cells, but the packs would be produced locally through the joint venture, under ProLogium's license:
"According to the MOU, the two parties will set up a joint venture to produce automotive solid-state battery(SSB) pack for Vinfast's EVs. The JV will have priority to purchase PLG's SSB product and will be licensed to use PLG's patented SSB pack assembly technology, MAB (Multi-Axis Bipolar+), to produce CIM/CIP SSB pack (cell is module/ cell is pack) locally in Vietnam."
The problem with solid-state batteries is that they mostly exist only in laboratories or are produced at a low scale. ProLogium describes itself as "the world's first and only Solid State Battery maker that has achieved mass production, and has sold various products to global clients in industries such as 3C electronics, industrial, medical, and IoT."
The company said that it expects to achieve manufacturing output of 1-2 GWh capacity of SSB annually in 2022 (at one of its facilities in Asia), but it's not clear to us whether it will be all envisioned for Vinfast or various customers:
"PLG will produce SSB inlays (semi-finished battery cell composed of cathode, solid state electrolyte and anode layer) for the JV at one of its Asian manufacturing centers (expected to reach 1-2 GWh capacity in 2022), which will support mass production schedule of Vinfast EVs in 2023-2024."
Anyway, 2 GWh is equivalent to 20,000 battery packs - 100 kWh each. Not a bad start, if the performance is good and Vinfast gets access to it.
Another potential automotive customer is NIO, which started a collaboration with ProLogium in 2019.
More about solid-state batteries