GM Says It's Solved the LMR EV Battery Problem, Aims to Be First to Market
General Motors claims to have created a new and improved version of the lithium manganese-rich (LMR) electric vehicle battery, which has historically suffered from capacity fade. The battery, which the automaker expects to "unlock premium range and performance" at a relatively low cost, could be used in GMC and Chevrolet vehicles as soon as 2028.
On paper, LMR batteries are cheaper and more environmentally friendly to manufacture than the nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) batteries used by most EV makers today. That's because manganese is a highly Earth-abundant mineral, making it less expensive to obtain than cobalt and nickel, which are used in lower volumes in LMRs. Manganese mining is also thought to release fewer pollutants into the air and waterways; cobalt and nickel mining produce so many environmental contaminants that it's associated with increased risk of neurologic toxicity, lung disease, birth defects, and other major health complications.
Credit: Steve Fecht/General Motors
But LMR batteries typically perform quite poorly. Every time an LMR battery charges or discharges, the structure of its manganese-oxide cathode changes slightly, resulting in voltage and capacity fade over time. This means that while the unique structure of an LMR battery cell could boast a higher energy density, the battery's lack of long-term viability renders its benefits moot: No one wants an EV with a battery that will only last them a few years.
GM says it's fixed this problem. Through a partnership with LG Energy Solution, LG's battery technology arm, the automaker has reportedly built an LMR battery with prismatic cells that unlock 33% higher energy density than the best lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells—another white whale for the EV industry, thanks to LFP batteries' improved safety and lengthy lifespans. The new LMR battery comes at a "comparable cost" to budget-friendly LFPs but uses its prismatic cell shape to reduce battery module components by 75%, allowing for more energy storage in a battery of the same size.
GM hopes to provide a minimum 400-mile range for its LMR-powered electric pickups; the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV offers up to 460. Credit: General Motors
"We've worked with our suppliers to optimize the materials in our LMR cells, adding proprietary dopants and coatings, along with particle engineering, process innovations, to achieve the right energy density and arrangement of battery materials inside the cell to keep them stable," says GM. "The result is that our new LMR cells can match the lifespan of current generation high-nickel cells, with comparable performance but much lower cost."
Ultium Cells, GM's and LG Energy Solution's joint venture, aims to begin pre-production of its LMR battery cells by late 2027. Commercial production is slated for 2028, when the battery will find its way into electric cars, SUVs, and trucks. GM hopes to provide a minimum 400-mile range for its LMR-powered electric pickups; the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado EV offers up to 460.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
3 Hot Tech Stocks With More Potential Than Any Cryptocurrency
CoreWeave's AI cloud business is booming. D-Wave's practical applications for quantum computing are impressing investors. QuantumScape could reshape the EV market with its solid-state batteries. 10 stocks we like better than CoreWeave › Cryptocurrencies might be worthwhile plays for investors who have a high tolerance for risk. However, they're also notoriously volatile and difficult to value since they often trade on market hype or murky future expectations regrading their scarcity or utility. So instead of chasing the market's hottest cryptocurrencies right now, it might be smarter to invest in three speculative tech stocks: CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV), D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS), and QuantumScape (NYSE: QS). These stocks are also undeniably risky, but they're built on firmer businesses with clearer roadmaps for the future. CoreWeave, which was once an Ethereum mining operation, abandoned the crypto market in 2018 and leveraged its big inventory of graphics processing units (GPUs) to build an artificial intelligence (AI)-oriented cloud-infrastructure business. After spending about $100 million on Nvidia's H100 data center GPUs in 2022, it carved out a niche with a dedicated AI platform which was about 35 times faster and 80% cheaper than bigger cloud-infrastructure platforms. It used its own GPUs as collateral to secure more financing, and it attracted some investments from big investors like Nvidia, Cisco, and PureStorage. Its total number of data centers rose from just three in 2022 to 33 at the end of its latest quarter. Its revenue soared from $16 million in 2022 to $1.92 billion in 2024, and it expects that figure to more than double to about $5 billion in 2025. It isn't cheap at 15 times that sales estimate, and its stock has already more than quadrupled since its initial public offering (IPO) just two months ago. But it could have plenty of room to grow as the AI market expands. CoreWeave's lack of profits, high debt, and plans to accelerate its spending on Nvidia's latest Blackwell GPUs could compress its near-term valuations and cool off its stock, but it could head a lot higher over the next few years if it successfully scales up its business and narrows its losses. D-Wave Computing develops quantum annealing tools which can help companies optimize their schedules, workflows, and supply chains. Through quantum computing, which stores zeros and ones simultaneously in qubits, it operates more efficiently than traditional computers which store that data in separate binary bits. D-Wave's core Leap platform, which can be integrated into bigger public cloud platforms, is essentially a quantum-powered efficiency expert. It runs an organization's processes through its systems in various ways, and it identifies the one which consumes the least power as the most efficient. As a quantum-powered platform, D-Wave can map out all of those potential outcomes at a much faster rate than traditional computers. More than 100 companies -- including Deloitte, Mastercard, Lockheed Martin, and Accenture -- already use its services. That makes it a more practical play on the nascent quantum-computing market than its other niche research-oriented peers. From 2024 to 2027, analysts expect D-Wave's revenue to surge from $9 million to $74 million. It's not expected to turn profitable anytime soon, and it might seem absurdly overvalued at 70 times its projected sales for 2027. But it could grow a lot bigger as the quantum-computing market expands over the next few decades. QuantumScape is another speculative stock which could skyrocket over the long run. It develops solid-state lithium metal batteries which have better thermal resistance, faster charging times, and last longer than traditional lithium ion batteries. That makes them well suited for electric vehicles (EV), but it hasn't commercialized any of its batteries yet. QuantumScape is backed by Volkswagen, and its first QSE-5 batteries will have a fast charging time of less than 15 minutes with an EV range of up to 500 miles. Most EVs currently have a range of roughly 300 miles with an average charging time of 30 minutes. It's only shipped a few low-volume samples so far, and it doesn't expect to mass produce any batteries or generate any revenue until 2026. But this year, the company is transitioning from its older Raptor separator process to its newer Cobra process. That long-awaited upgrade should boost its stability and yields to pave the way toward the mass production of its batteries. QuantumScape is worth $2.4 billion right now, but it's tough to value because it's unprofitable, isn't generating any revenue yet, and still faces competition from other battery makers and automakers. But if it successfully scales up its business, it might just attract a stampede of bulls and outperform any of the market's top cryptocurrencies. Before you buy stock in CoreWeave, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and CoreWeave wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $669,517!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $868,615!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 792% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Accenture Plc, Cisco Systems, Ethereum, Mastercard, Nvidia, and Pure Storage. The Motley Fool recommends Lockheed Martin and Volkswagen Ag. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Hot Tech Stocks With More Potential Than Any Cryptocurrency was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
The Verge
a day ago
- The Verge
It's the closest we're likely to get to a global release for
Xiaomi's SU7 Ultra is launching outside China... in Gran Turismo. Xiaomi's souped up EV, which last year set a record lap time for a four-door car at the Nürburgring, albeit using a stripped-out prototype to do so. There's no release date just yet for the car's addition to Gran Turismo 7 though.
Motor Trend
a day ago
- Motor Trend
2026 Chevrolet Tahoe Review: Expert Insights, Pricing, and Trims
The Tahoe may be the Chevrolet Suburban's little sibling, but it remains one of the most recognizable American three-row SUVs available today. Carrying on a legacy of size and spaciousness, the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe is expected to return with few changes after a major refresh for 2025. Rivals to the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe include the Ford Expedition, Jeep Wagoneer, and Toyota Sequoia. What's New Fresh from last year's major update, we're expecting the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe to carry over with only slight changes. For 2025, Chevy overhauled its full-size SUV with new front and rear fascia with available animated lighting. A 24-inch wheel option became available for those who want a flashy look straight from the factory. Cypress Gray and Lakeshore Blue Metallic paint colors were added as optional shades. Inside the cabin, Chevy improved the interior with larger screens and nicer materials. Along with the new tech, Chevy adds its Connected Camera feature for remote vehicle monitoring. This page will be updated with more insights and photos as information becomes available. What We Think GM offers the last non-luxury SUV with V-8 engines, making the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe an outlier in its segment. Eight-cylinder power has its advantages—the Tahoe sounds awesome, has plenty of low-end grunt, and its towing performance is strong. Still, there are good reasons Chevy's competitors have moved on to twin-turbo V-6 engines. The Tahoe is inefficient and doesn't gain a competitive edge in terms of acceleration or capability with a V-8 under the hood. Things improve with the diesel engine, which is smooth, efficient, and torque-rich. Though the post-refresh Tahoe rides better than before, some models still err on the firm side, especially those with the standard coil springs and passive dampers. Models with adaptive dampers or air suspension are your best bet, especially if you avoid the available 24-inch wheels. The new interior, introduced for 2025, is dramatically improved over the pre-refresh model's cabin. New screens and better materials make the inside of the Tahoe a far better place to spend time. Super Cruise hands-free driving eases the burden of cross-country driving. Getting the right Tahoe is tricky. If you opt for the diesel engine and air suspension, and stay away from the 24-inch wheels, you'll find yourself in a solid full-size SUV. Top-Ranked Competitors: Jeep Wagoneer Chevrolet Suburban GMC Yukon Ford Expedition MotorTrend Tested The 2026 Tahoe carries over with a 10-speed automatic transmission for all models, with standard rear-wheel drive and available four-wheel drive. The entry-level engine should continue to be a 5.3-liter V-8 developing 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque. Acceleration from 0–60 mph should take just over 7.0 seconds, which is in the same ballpark as a 2023 Tahoe Z71 we previously tested that managed a time of 7.3 seconds. Chevy offers a 6.2-liter V-8 engine as an upgrade, with output totaling 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. When we tested a 2025 Chevrolet Tahoe High Country with this engine, we managed the 0–60 mph dash in 6.3 seconds. A Duramax diesel 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six is also expected to return with 305 hp and 495 lb-ft of torque. Diesel models accelerate from 0–60 mph in just over 8.0 seconds. MPGs and Range We're expecting the 2026 Tahoe to have similar fuel economy as that of the 2025 model. The EPA rates the 2025 Tahoe with the base 5.3-liter V-8 engine at 14–15/18–20 mpg city/highway with rear-wheel drive and 15/19-20 mpg with four-wheel drive. Range is 384–408 miles. The available 6.2-liter V-8 nearly matches the efficiency of the 5.3-liter engine. With rear-wheel drive, the 6.2-liter Tahoe returns 15/20 mpg. Four-wheel drive variants are rated at 14/18 mpg. Like the 5.3-liter Tahoe, models with the 6.2-liter engine are rated at 384–408 miles of range. Diesel power is the most efficient way to go when configuring the Tahoe. The straight-six is good for 20/26 mpg city/highway and 528 miles of combined city/highway range. Safety Features Every 2026 Tahoe gets Chevy Safety Assist on all trims. Additionally, General Motors' Super Cruise hands-free driving will likely return for the LT, RST, Premier, and High Country trims. Front automatic emergency braking for vehicles and pedestrians Lane departure warning Lane keeping assist Automatic high beams Cargo Space and Interior Room The 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe carries over with the same interior dimensions as the prior model year. That means the Chevy compares favorably against the Ford Expedition. The Suburban, essentially an extra-long Tahoe, has much more cargo volume. Technology Infotainment The 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe has an 11.0-inch driver display and a 17.7-inch touchscreen with Google built-in functionality. Google Maps, the Google Play store, and Google Assistant voice commands are included, as are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Chevy includes other desirable features as standard, like a 360-degree camera and USB ports in every row. Available tech includes a wireless charger, a digital rearview mirror, and a head-up display. Sound System A six-speaker sound system is standard on lower trims. Those desiring improved audio quality should upgrade to a higher trim to get the Bose 10-speaker arrangement. Chevy's Connected Camera System Remote monitoring is likely to return for the 2026 Tahoe with Chevy's Connected Camera System. You can use the MyChevrolet app to access the Tahoe's interior and exterior cameras to check on your car and its surroundings. Value Standard Features Should the 2026 Tahoe arrive as a carryover model, the list of standard equipment will continue to be very appealing. A V-8 engine sets the full-size SUV apart from rivals. Other default mechanical features include independent multilink rear suspension and a 10-speed automatic. 18-inch wheels are standard. Inside the cabin, the 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe is expected to come equipped with an 11.0-inch driver display and a 17.7-inch infotainment display with Google built-in software. Other standard tech includes the Chevy Safety Assist suite, a 360-degree camera, and Chevy's Teen Driver monitoring program. Recommended Trim We expect the 2026 Chevy Tahoe to return with six trim levels: LS, LT, RST, Z71, Premier, and High Country. Pricing begins in the low-$60,000 range for the entry-level LS trim with rear-wheel drive and climbs to about $80,000 for the top-end High Country model. Our pick is the Z71 trim, which looks good and is well-equipped with standard four-wheel drive, skidplates, red recovery hooks, and 20-inch wheels. Pricing for this trim begins in the low-$70,000 range. Though off-road-oriented, the Z71 model is a solid all-rounder, especially when equipped with the available Adaptive Air Ride suspension.
