SK On Ends Five-Year Loss Streak

[MIIT: Repealing and Revising NEV Used Power Battery "Second-Life Application" Policy Standards] The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued an announcement on repealing and revising new energy vehicle (NEV) used power battery "second-life application" policy standards and regulating related industry activities. The "second-life application" clauses in the *Industry Standards for Comprehensive Utilization of NEV Used Power Batteries* are repealed. The management of enterprise announcements for "second-life application" will no longer be conducted, and enterprises already announced as "second-life application" enterprises will be removed from the list of enterprises conforming to the industry standards for comprehensive utilization of NEV used power batteries. The list of enterprises already announced for disassembly recycling remains valid. Battery products produced by enterprises using used power batteries must meet the quality standards and requirements of their application fields. No organization or individual may use whole used power batteries, or their components processed through splitting, reorganizing, assembling, or related techniques, in the form of battery packs, modules, or cells, in e-bikes or other fields where such use is prohibited by laws, administrative regulations, and mandatory standards.

[SMM Analysis: Raw Material Price Hikes Push Up Production Costs, Electrolyte Prices Start an Upward Trend] Recently, upstream raw materials for electrolyte—including additives, lithium chemicals, and solvents—have all seen price increases, continuously squeezing the profit margins of electrolyte enterprises. As cost pressure is gradually transmitted downstream, the electrolyte has entered a price hike cycle.