Visitors look at a super-fast battery charger for SK On's quick battery diagnostics service at the CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Thursday (local time). Korea Times photo by Park Jae-hyuk

By Park Jae-hyuk

LAS VEGAS ― Visitors to SK On's exhibition booth at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Thursday (local time), showed a keen interest in the Korean electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer's "quick battery diagnostics service."

Looking at a battery charger's screen at the booth, they simulated a mobile app for the service and searched for unfamiliar terms via QR codes on the screen.

The futuristic service aims to enable EV drivers to save time when checking out their batteries to as short as 30 minutes. It currently takes more than a week to check the condition and potential mileage of EV batteries. Special devices are also needed currently to test EV batteries.

SK On plans to commercialize the quicker service in the near future. EV drivers using the company's batteries will then be able to get their batteries checked up on more conveniently when they are charging their cars with super-fast chargers at stations affiliated with the battery maker.

The service features a grading system, which registers a battery's condition by comparing it to a new one. SK On said the service will also allow drivers to check the mileage achieved by their cars accurately, as this could be inconsistent depending on the weather and driving habits.

An introduction to SK On's quick battery diagnostics service is on display at the company's exhibition booth at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Thursday (local time). Korea Times photo by Park Jae-hyuk

"This service is so convenient," Thaddeus Padua from a computer company in Hawaii said at SK On's exhibition booth. "I think it's going to be very useful for many people."

According to SK On, the service has also drawn attention from rent-a-car companies, used car dealers, insurers and car mechanics.

The company said it finished a pilot test to verify the technology's accuracy, which is over 95 percent. It tested real vehicles by using a super-fast charger which was developed in collaboration with SK Signet, SK Group's U.S. subsidiary specializing in EV battery chargers.

SK On seeks to enable the service to be applied to Tesla's EVs and cars using batteries made by different manufacturers.