This agreement marks two world firsts for SES AI: It is the first time a Lithium-Metal battery manufacturer has agreed to build a line within an automotive OEM’s facility, and it makes SES AI the only Li-Metal battery company to have two B-sample development JDAs underway.

SES AI Corporation, a developer of high-performance Li-Metal batteries, signed an agreement to enter the next phase of its existing joint development agreement (JDA) with Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation to start developing B samples.

As part of the agreement, Hyundai Motor and Kia - SES AI will build a dedicated B-sample cell development, assembly and testing facility in Ui-Wang, South Korea starting later this year, and SES AI will build and operate one of the largest capacity Li-Metal lines in the world within this new facility. This collaboration is the first of its kind in the Li-Metal battery industry.

The expansion of the relationship with Hyundai Motor and Kia means that SES AI is the first Li-Metal battery company to have two B-sample development JDAs underway. SES AI previously announced its first B-sample JDA with another major automaker in December 2023. In addition to these two B-sample lines, SES AI is also converting another A-sample line to produce Urban Air Mobility (UAM) battery cells.

SES AI, Hyundai Motor and Kia teamed up in 2021 to collaborate on a range of technologies, including Li-Metal batteries for UAM as well as EV applications.

Based in Woburn, Massachusetts with operations in Shanghai and Seoul, SES AI is backed by Hyundai Motor and Kia, General Motors Co., and Honda Motor Co.