LS Materials presents charging station with buffer storage system

Fast charging stations with a battery as a stationary storage unit connected to the grid are becoming increasingly popular as they can buffer grid power during peak usage periods. The Korean company LS Materials has developed a new hybrid energy storage system (H-ESS) for electric vehicle charging stations, which it claims is cheaper, more compact and significantly longer-lasting than conventional stationary storage systems for charging stations.

For its charging plus stationary storage hybrid storage system, LS Materials has combined lithium-ion batteries with capacitors specially designed for fast charging and discharging. These capacitors can quickly absorb energy from the grid between two charging processes to make it ready for the next vehicle. The H-ESS should enable “stable charging of several vehicles even at peak times”. The subsidiary LS Cable & Systems was also involved in the development.

Operating the hybrid system should also be safer and cheaper than conventional stationary storage systems for charging stations. According to LS Materials, the new hybrid system minimises heat generation, reduces the risk of fire and has a service life 5 to 10 times longer than conventional energy storage systems (ESS) when used as a buffer for charging stations. The company explains that existing ESSs are prone to rapid heat generation and performance degradation during repeated rapid charging and discharging. This results in a short lifespan, high risk, and operational costs when used in EV charging stations.

The project was supported by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as the development of infrastructure for electric vehicles is seen as a “national task”. LS Materials said the company can also imagine its H-ESS used outside the field of electromobility.

“We will expand the application to areas that require rapid response, such as AI data centers and ESS related to renewable energy, and intensify our efforts to develop the global market with a focus on North America and Europe,” says Hong Young-ho, CEO of LS Materials.

LS Materials founded a joint venture with Hammerer Aluminium Industries from Austria in 2024 to manufacture lightweight aluminium parts for electric cars, such as parts of the bodywork, but also battery housings. The new storage units are also to be manufactured at the joint venture HiMK’s factory in Gumi, a city in the North Gyeongsang Province of South Korea.

businesskorea.co.kr, lsmaterials.co (in Korean)