POSCO INTERNATIONAL has completed a plant in Poland to produce drive motor cores, a key component of electric vehicle drive motors, and will ramp up its push into the European EV market. By establishing three major production hubs across Asia, North America, and Europe, it aims to secure a 10% share of the global drive motor core market by 2030.
POSCO INTERNATIONAL said on the 1st (local time) that it held a completion ceremony for its drive motor core plant in Poland. The Poland plant, completed with a total investment of 94.1 billion won by POSCO INTERNATIONAL, was built on a 100,000-square-meter site. After trial production in Oct., mass production will begin in Dec.
POSCO INTERNATIONAL has secured a production system for drive motor cores that can supply 7.5 million electric vehicles a year by 2030. Specifically, 2.5 million units in Korea (Pohang and Cheonan), 3.5 million in Mexico, 1.2 million in Poland, and 300,000 in India. The plan is to boost market responsiveness by manufacturing and supplying drive motor cores near customers' production plants.
A drive motor core is a key component of the drive motor, often called the heart of an electric vehicle. POSCO Group's non-oriented electrical steel and its proprietary Em-Free technology are applied to the drive motor core. Em-Free technology, which stacks layers by applying a small amount of adhesive, improves energy efficiency and reduces noise and vibration compared with embossing technology, which connects and bonds protrusions.
POSCO INTERNATIONAL has secured orders for drive motor cores for 35 million electric vehicles by 2033. The Poland plant will supply drive motor cores for 1.68 million electric vehicles that Hyundai Motor and Kia plan to produce in Europe, and will expand its customer base to European automakers such as Volkswagen. Sales from the drive motor core business are expected to grow from 450 billion won this year to 1.5 trillion won in 2030.
Lee Gye-in, president of POSCO INTERNATIONAL, said, "The Poland plant is a key hub for securing an early lead in the European EV market. Based on the group-level integrated capabilities in steel for EVs, battery materials, and parts, POSCO Group will lead the future mobility market."