[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] LG Energy Solution will exclusively supply cylindrical batteries to American solar electric vehicle startup Aptera Motors.

LG Energy Solution announced on the 10th that it signed a three-party business agreement (MOU) with Aptera Motors and domestic battery pack manufacturer CTNS at CES 2025, the world's largest home appliance and information technology show held in Las Vegas, USA on the 8th (local time).

Through this, the company has agreed to supply 4.4 GWh of cylindrical batteries (2170) to Aptera Motors for seven years from this year to 2031 and to actively cooperate in the production of solar electric vehicles, which are considered a new product group in the future mobility market.

The solar electric vehicle 'Aptera' developed by Aptera Motors is a new type of mobility that maximizes driving distance by simultaneously applying solar panels and battery packs. It successfully completed test driving last year, and with over 50,000 pre-orders, it is scheduled to be released in the US market starting this year.

According to Aptera Motors, this vehicle can travel 643 km on a single charge. It can travel 64 km a day on solar panels alone, making it highly useful for commuting to and from work in the city. It is also considered a representative next-generation mobility vehicle with a futuristic design that minimizes air resistance, and has even appeared in a famous American science fiction movie.

■ LG Energy Solution Expands Areas with New Businesses with ‘Future Growth Potential’

Through this supply contract with Aptera Motors, LG Energy Solution will be able to further accelerate the ‘diversification of its product and customer portfolio.’

Last year, LG Energy Solution announced its corporate vision of ‘Empower Every Possibility’ and revealed plans to diversify its portfolio into new business areas with high future growth potential, such as robots, ships, and urban air mobility (UAM). In November of last year, it signed an ‘MOU for battery cell supply contract and technical cooperation’ with Bear Robotics, a mobility platform company based on autonomous robots.

Diversification of the business portfolio is possible because LG Energy Solution possesses differentiated customer value capabilities not only in pouch-type batteries but also in cylindrical batteries.

Since developing the first cylindrical battery in 1999, LG Energy Solution has been expanding its range of applications by producing various products, including the recent 46 series battery. In particular, it is expected that mass production of the 46 series will begin at its Arizona plant in the U.S. next year, allowing it to respond to customer demand in a timely manner.

LG Energy Solution's Choi Jin-hyeok, head of marketing, said, "LG Energy Solution is the unrivaled leader in the global battery industry and will present differentiated customer value in the next-generation mobility sector as well."

“This agreement is a significant milestone in bringing solar-electric vehicles to market with the reliability and performance our customers expect,” said Chris Anthony, co-CEO of Aptera Motors. “We are excited to work with the exceptional expertise of LG Energy Solution and CTNS to advance the future of sustainable transportation.”