Ford said it's made a breakthrough in battery tech to make cheaper EVs with longer range
Ford Motor Co. said it is getting closer to offering car buyers more affordable and longer-range electric vehicles thanks to a breakthrough it made in battery technology, though the announcement lacked details, leaving some experts underwhelmed.
Charles Poon, Ford's director of electrified propulsion engineering, on April 23 announced that the Dearborn-based automaker plans, by the end of the decade, to offer lower-priced EVs that can travel farther on a single charge thanks to its work on new battery cell chemistry.
"Today marks a pivotal moment in Ford's electrification journey and for the future of electric vehicles," Poon wrote in his LinkedIn post. "After intense research and development at our state-of-the-art Battery Center of Excellence, Ion Park (in Romulus), I'm thrilled to share that the Ford team is delivering a game-changing battery chemistry: Lithium Manganese Rich (LMR). This isn't just a lab experiment. We're actively working to scale LMR cell chemistry and integrate them into our future vehicle lineup within this decade."
Poon said the Ford team is already producing its second generation of LMR cells at its pilot line.
But experts said lithium manganese batteries aren't new. The first-generation Chevrolet Volt used cells with manganese spinel cathodes, said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry Insights. He said spinel refers to a specific type of 3D molecular structure.
There are other battery formulations as well, Abuelsamid said, explaining that Next Energy, a nonprofit that is researching alternative energy technology, has also been working on lithium manganese cells as part of its Gemini hybrid battery design. Next Energy describes Gemini as an architecture designed to double the range of EVs by using two cells: a lithium iron phosphate cell for daily driving and an anode-free cell for longer trips.
"The big advantage of manganese is that it's plentiful, cheap and very stable (it doesn't readily experience thermal runaway the way nickel chemistries do)," Abuelsamid told the Free Press in an email. "At least some varieties of manganese cells don't last as long, though."
Ford spokeswoman Emma Bergg clarified to the Free Press that while LMR has been researched by many companies, the technology poses challenges with voltage decay and gas generation. What is unique about the Ford LMR development is that the automaker is directly addressing these issues while "not sacrificing energy density," Bergg wrote in an email.
Abuelsamid said manganese cells have had a short charge cycle life, and Ford's comments imply that they may have found a way to address this, but Ford did not provide details on how.
Sam Fiorani thought the clarification suggested progress more than a breakthrough.
"'Directly addressing' does not sound like they've 'found a solution,' but rather getting better and working toward an eventual produceable solution," Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, told the Free Press.
In his post, Poon said Ford's LMR battery technology has the potential to make a "step change," by giving its EVs enhanced safety and stability comparable to lithium iron phosphate batteries as well as a higher energy density than even high-nickel batteries, which provide longer range on a single charge.
Poon said Ford is also targeting a significantly lower cost than current mid-nickel batteries, which would bring down the prices of EVs. Batteries represent at least a third of the cost of an EV, and Ford believes lowering prices on EVs is key to achieving true cost parity with gasoline-powered vehicles.
"Ford started by offering nickel cobalt manganese batteries and later added lithium iron phosphate batteries in 2023," Poon wrote. "LMR is the answer to 'what next?''
But battery technology for EVs is in its infancy compared with the development of internal combustion engines, said Fiorani.
"There will be many improvements over the coming years and decades as the automotive industry is finally focusing on this technology," Fiorani said.
He said efforts such as LMR batteries, however, cannot be overlooked because they show promise in getting EVs positioned as a practical replacement for gasoline-powered vehicles, ultimately leading to broad EV adoption. But he exercises caution without further details from Ford.
"Like all of the reported breakthroughs over the last few years, LMR has its shortcomings and isn't likely the panacea we're looking for at this point," Fiorani said. "Getting over the problems with voltage decay and short charge-cycle life are huge hurdles to jump."
Ford's current all-electric lineup includes: Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning pickup and the E-Transit van. In the first quarter, Ford reported it sold 22,550 all-electric vehicles, an 11.5% increase from the year-ago period.
Ford Chair Bill Ford has long advocated for greater EV affordability. At the Detroit Auto Show in January, Bill Ford said that the company is working hard on making EVs more affordable because EV affordability will be "the catalyst for much wider adoption."
Ford's news comes after the New York Times reported on Monday that China's CATL — the biggest supplier of batteries for the world's EVs — said it had made technological advances that would allow it to make batteries that are cheaper, lighter, faster to recharge and more resistant to cold — all while providing greater driving range. CATL said most of the changes will not be widely available in new EVs for a couple of years, but its new system would allow a driver to charge an EV in five minutes with enough juice to drive 320 miles.
Wall Street autos analyst David Whiston with Morningstar told the Free Press that Ford's announced battery cell technology advancements might eliminate or reduce the need for cobalt, an expensive mineral often mined with child labor, making it a human rights concern.
Whiston admited he is not an expert on battery chemistry, but said LMR batteries use more abundant elements rather than cobalt for the cathode, so sourcing LMR is easier and cheaper.
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford says it has breakthrough Lithium Manganese Rich battery for EVs
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