Yesterday, South Korea and Taiwan-based news outlets reported that South Korean authorities are investigating the possible leak of trade secrets around the manufacturing of high-density pouch-type battery cell technology from LG Energy Solution to Ola Electric. These trade secrets come under the ambit of what South Korea terms as its ‘National Core Technology’ related to battery manufacturing (and it becomes a government matter).
From the Newswatch Korea story:
In short, LGES has reported to the South Korean government that one of its former researchers is under investigation for passing on technology secrets to India-based Ola Electric. The leak happened in 2023.
Ola Electric is setting up a 5.0 GWh cell gigafactory.
Impact
It is a developing story. Ola has publicly stated that it would be manufacturing 4680 cylindrical cells at its gigafactory. That does not align with what is being investigated in South Korea (Around technology for high-density pouch-type cells), as reported by the media outlets.
With Ola setting up a cell plant, it likely attracted some talent from South Korea, some of whom may have worked with LG Energy Solution in the past. A former LG Energy Solution and LG Chem executive, Hyun Shik Park, was listed in the Ola DRHP as the COO of Ola Cell Technologies. He was appointed in August 2023.
