Standard Energy, the world’s first company to develop the Vanadium Ion Battery (VIB) and VIB-based energy storage systems (ESS), has entered into a strategic partnership with SK On and SK Innovation to strengthen its position in the ESS market. Through this collaboration, the three companies aim to build a diversified ESS portfolio tailored to a wide range of applications.

 
On November 5, the companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at Standard Energy’s headquarters in Daejeon, South Korea, to jointly develop secondary battery technologies and explore business cooperation. The signing ceremony was attended by Bu-Gi Kim, CEO of Standard Energy; Seok-hee Lee, CEO of SK On; Gi-su Park, Head of SK On’s Future Technology Institute; and Pil-seok Kim, Head of SK Innovation’s Environmental Science & Technology Institute.

Under the agreement, the partners will work to further enhance VIB technology, which offers high fire safety and fast charge-discharge capability, making it well suited for high-power ESS applications. As demand grows for energy infrastructure supporting AI and ultra-fast EV charging, the need for ESS capable of repeated high-output operation within short timeframes continues to increase.

SK On will contribute its expertise in large-scale battery manufacturing and system integration, while SK Innovation will focus on improving material performance through electrolyte additive development and exploring cost-reduction opportunities by utilizing vanadium recovered from refining processes. Standard Energy aims to accelerate the adoption of VIB technology across domestic and global ESS markets through this collaboration.

Standard Energy has already demonstrated and commercialized VIB-based ESS solutions, supplying systems to multiple customers. In 2022, the company deployed a VIB-powered ultra-fast EV charging facility in downtown Seoul under South Korea’s regulatory sandbox program, operating it without a single safety incident. Subsequent installations in high-traffic indoor and urban environments have further validated the safety and performance of VIB ESS.

“By accelerating the commercialization of vanadium ion batteries—designed to complement lithium-ion technology—together with SK On and SK Innovation, we aim to establish a new benchmark for ESS that can be safely deployed in environments where safety and performance are equally critical, such as data centers and dense urban settings,” said Bu-Gi Kim, CEO of Standard Energy.

Seok-hee Lee, CEO of SK On, added, “This collaboration will enable the joint development of vanadium ion batteries for ESS with outstanding fire safety, strengthening our product portfolio and allowing us to deliver new value to customers based on globally competitive technology.”