SM Bexel to Localize Battery Packs for Pest Control Drones... Aiming to Supply 200 Units This Year
SM Bexel (010580) announced on August 5 that it is ramping up collaboration with Vololand, a drone total solution provider, to develop smart battery packs for agricultural pest control drones with plans to supply approximately 200 units as early as the end of this year.
Vololand is a company specializing in the development and supply of motors, aircraft, and drones. Leveraging SM Bexel's previous experience supplying custom battery packs for Vololand's logistics transport drones, the two companies have expanded their collaboration to the field of agricultural pest control drones.
Agricultural pest control drones must fly stably even with pesticides and equipment onboard, so rapid charging, high output performance, and waterproof functionality are all essential. There is also a need for features that maintain consistent power output through repeated charging and discharging, enable real-time monitoring of battery status, and support outdoor work environments.
SM Bexel plans to equip the new product with domestically produced high-output cells and diagnostic features that monitor state of charge (SoC) and state of health (SoH). In addition, the battery pack will include overcharge protection, a dedicated output connector and security features that are incompatible with Chinese products to prevent abnormal usage, and will be designed for integrated management of the drone and its power devices.
While the use of drones is rapidly expanding in Korean agriculture due to a shortage of labor, most core components like battery packs are still dependent on Chinese products. SM Bexel aims to leverage its extensive experience in industrial battery design to provide tailored solutions according to customers' desired size, voltage, capacity, and output, while also strengthening after-sales service and technical support.
With this project, the company will establish a full lineup of battery products for agricultural drones and plans to extend its technological reach in the future to various mobility sectors, including small purpose-built vehicles (PBVs) and two-wheelers for persons with mobility challenges.
A representative from SM Bexel stated, "Demand for pest control drones is rising due to the labor shortage in rural areas, but dependence on Chinese-made battery packs remains high. Based on our experience developing drone batteries for logistics applications, we will supply high-output, high-safety products tailored to the domestic agricultural environment and expand our business into diverse mobility sectors moving forward."
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SM Bexel plans to reduce reliance on Chinese products by localizing battery packs for pest control drones and will expand its business into a wide range of future mobility markets beyond agricultural drones, building on its accumulated battery technologies.
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