Latest news with #NMCA
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
GM, LG Energy target commercializing manganese-rich batteries for EVs
This story was originally published on Automotive Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Automotive Dive newsletter. Battery engineers at General Motors and its joint venture partner LG Energy Solution have developed an improved lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic battery cell design for the company's future electric vehicles, the automaker announced in a May 13 press release. The LRM battery chemistry uses a higher percentage of lower-cost manganese to replace Cobalt, a critical raw material for EV batteries, making them less costly to produce while still delivering high energy density. GM aims to be the first major automaker to deploy LMR batteries in EVs. Its Ultium Cells joint venture with LG Energy plans to start commercial production of the battery cells in the U.S. by 2028 for full-size electric trucks and SUVs. GM's current EV models use nickel manganese cobalt aluminum oxide (NMCA) batteries, which contributes to improving driving range, but are costlier manufacture. LRM battery chemistry, on the other hand, can help GM make its future EVs more affordable. A high nickel battery cell typically consists of roughly 85% nickel, 10% manganese and 5% cobalt, according to GM. But LMR cells contain around 35% nickel, 65% manganese, and 'virtually no cobalt,' which can significantly reduce costs. In addition, GM says its LMR prismatic battery cell design has 33% higher energy density compared to the best-performing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) or manganese cobalt aluminum oxide (NMCA) cells used in many EVs on the road today, and at a comparable cost. The new LRM battery cells are not intended to replace GM's current batteries. Rather they will be used for some electric models along with high-nickel and iron-phosphate cells for others. According to GM, the lower cost LRM prismatic cell batteries will primarily be used to expand customer choice in the electric truck and full-size SUV markets. 'We're pioneering manganese-rich battery technology to unlock premium range and performance at an affordable cost, especially in electric trucks,' said Kurt Kelty, VP of battery, propulsion, and sustainability at GM, in the release. 'As we look to engineer the ideal battery for each vehicle in our diverse EV portfolio, LMR will complement our high-nickel and iron-phosphate solutions.' GM is targeting driving ranges of over 400 miles for its full-size electric trucks and SUVs equipped with LRM batteries, while achieving significant cost savings compared to today's high-nickel battery cells the automaker is currently using. The automaker said it began researching LRM battery cells a decade ago, which included prototyping cells at its Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center in Warren, Michigan. The automaker accelerated its research in 2020 as its engineers collaborated with partners including LG Energy to achieve advancements in battery cathode materials, electrolytes, additives, form factors and assembly processes. GM said researchers overcame LMR's limitations in performance and durability that made them impractical for commercial use, according to the company. '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,' said Kushal Narayanaswamy, director of advanced battery cell engineering at GM, in a May 13 blog post. By the end of 2024, GM said its researchers coated roughly one metric ton of LMR cathode material at the company's Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center, which included testing hundreds of large format prismatic cells in 18 different prototypes and three cell dimensions. In total, the tests were equivalent to 1.4 million miles of EV driving, according to GM. Unlike the 4680 cylindrical cell format used by Tesla for the Model Y, prismatic cells can be stacked closer together inside an EV's battery pack. Their flat design uses less space compared to cylindrical cell batteries, leading to higher energy density, as more cells can fit into each EV battery pack. The cells can also better dissipate heat for improved cooling performance with an outer case typically made of aluminum. 'That makes them substantially more efficient to package in full-scale trucks and SUVs,' Narayanaswamy said. Prismatic cells also require fewer components to assemble battery packs, which contributes to lower costs. The design can reduce battery module components by 75% and total pack components by 50%, according to GM. Pre-production of LRM battery cells is expected to begin at an LG Energy Solution facility by late 2027. The final cell design will be validated at GM's new Battery Cell Development Center in Warren, Michigan, that's expected to be operational by 2027. The batteries will also be validated at an unnamed LG Energy Solution facility before series production begins. 'We're excited to introduce the first-ever LMR prismatic cells for EVs, the culmination of our decades-long research and investment in the technology,' said Wonjoon Suh, executive VP and head of the Advanced Automotive Battery division at LG Energy Solution, in the release. 'GM's future trucks powered by this new chemistry are a strong example of our shared commitment to offering diverse EV options to consumers.' Recommended Reading LG Energy Solution picks up Michigan's subsidies for Ultium plant Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
WIRED
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- WIRED
GM's New Battery Tech Could Be a Breakthrough for Affordable EVs
May 13, 2025 10:00 AM General Motors has cracked the chemistry of lower-cost, energy-dense electric vehicle batteries. Budget-conscious gasoline holdouts may soon have no excuse. Photograph: Steve Fecht for General Motors General Motors is bringing in potentially groundbreaking new battery tech that not only has 30 percent more energy density at the existing production cost for cells, but would also circumvent China's stranglehold on intellectual property for EV batteries. The company even claims this new type of battery pack could lower the cost of its electric SUVs so they're comparable to their gasoline counterparts. The news came today as GM has announced it will use lithium manganese-rich (LMR) battery cells in its largest electric vehicles, the full-size trucks and SUVs sold by Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. They are to be produced by Ultium Cells, its joint-venture battery company with LG Energy Solutions. The first such cells will come from a pilot line in 2027, with full volume production in 2028 at a plant it hasn't yet disclosed. The new cells are in the prismatic format, versus Ultium's current pouch cells, which use a nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NCMA) chemistry. Those cells, in large standardized modules, power GM's entire current EV lineup, from the compact Chevrolet Equinox EV all the way up to the GMC Hummer EV. The new prismatic cells appear even larger than Ultium's pouch cells, though GM did not provide dimensions. They will be housed in modules that, overall, have 50 percent fewer parts than their predecessors. That may prevent delays like those that delayed volume production of its Ultium modules by 12 to 18 months, pushing deliveries of several models from late 2022 to early 2024. Lower Cost, Higher Energy Density A full-size prototype GM LMR battery cell. GM has apparently prototyped 300 full-size LMR cells to crack the code on the new chemistry that offers up a third more energy density at no extra production cost. Photograph: Steve Fecht for General Motors Crucially, GM claims its Ultium battery engineers have created a chemistry that provides one-third greater energy density than comparable lithium iron-phosphate (LFP)—at a comparable cell cost. China owns virtually all the intellectual property around LFP chemistry, which costs less in materials than NMCA because it uses none of those metals. The tradeoff for lower cost is lower energy density by volume. The earliest NMC cells used roughly equal thirds of nickel, manganese, and cobalt. GM's current 'high-nickel' Ultium cells swapped out much of that cobalt for nickel, while adding aluminum as well. They use, said GM battery engineer Andy Oury, roughly 5 percent cobalt and 10 percent manganese, with the rest being nickel and aluminum. The LMR cells, however, substitute manganese—which is cheaper and more globally plentiful—for some of the pricier nickel and virtually all of the cobalt. They are, Oury said, 60 to 70 percent manganese, 30 to 40 percent nickel, and only up to 2 percent nickel. The new chemistry, in a second type of cell, will also use a new module format. Standardized Ultium NMCA modules for every vehicle were the right solution for GM to launch its current lineup of 12 different EV models, its execs said. Going forward, the company envisions using different chemistries for different purposes: NMCA for high-performance and its most capable models, now LMR for long range at lower cost, and LFP for its least expensive models. Cheap Long-Range Electric SUVs and Trucks So if LMR chemistry actually produces a cell that costs as little to make as LFP with greater energy density, that could be a game changer—including for North American competitiveness against China in the critical sphere of battery development and production. 'LMR will complement our high-nickel and iron-phosphate solutions to expand customer choice in the truck and full-size SUV markets,' said Kurt Kelty, GM's vice president of battery, propulsion, and sustainability. It will, he said, 'advance American battery innovation, and create jobs well into the future.' A battery technician at the General Motors Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center in Warren, Michigan takes a chemistry slurry sample. Photograph: Steve Fecht for General Motors Specifically, LMR packs will lower the cost of some full-size EV truck and SUV models to bring their prices closer to those of their gasoline counterparts. That's crucial to boosting sales of the full-size EV models, which have not so far reached the same volumes and market penetrations as those of GM's compact and midsize EV crossovers. GM has said little about its plans for cells using the third chemistry, lithium-iron phosphate. However, the upcoming 2026 Chevrolet Bolt EV—a reboot of the compact hatchback that was its first and only battery-electric model from 2017 through 2022—has long been expected to use LFP cells to keep its price close to the $30,000 level of earlier models. Expect more details within weeks or months. Tesla's Ex-Battery Chief at Work Hiring Kelty was a coup for GM, given his previous 11-year tenure as Tesla's battery czar—and 15 years before that with Japanese cell maker Panasonic. He told WIRED he arrived at GM with 'some preconceptions' about what directions the company should take for its cells going forward. He was, he said, initially resistant to the idea of using LMR cell chemistry, but GM's own battery engineers had worked on developing the chemistry since 2015—and persisted in their advocacy. LMR's clear advantages, Kelty said, ultimately brought him around. Its cell partner LG Energy Solutions brought its own portfolio of more than 200 LMR patents dating back to 2010 to the table, and this week's announcement is the result. A GM battery technician aligning electrodes on an anode sample for a prototype LMR battery cell. Photograph: Steve Fecht for General Motors 'LMR' is not yet an industry-standard term for the battery chemistry; following the formats of the other two, it should really be 'LMN,' for lithium-manganese-nickel. Regardless of name, GM hopes to be the first to bring it to market in volume. Ford used the same term and beat GM to the punch on the PR front when Charles Poon, its global director of electrified propulsion engineering, published a LinkedIn post in late April. That post said Ford had developed 'a game-changing battery chemistry that will lead to enhanced safety, lower cost and industry-leading energy density' it was working to integrate into Ford electric vehicles 'within this decade'. GM's LMR announcement, while later, specified the year 2028.
The Hindu
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Hindu
Career in Battery Technology
Battery technology has become a crucial factor in an era of technological breakthroughs and drive toward sustainability. From electric vehicles and portable electronics to renewable energy, efficient and reliable energy storage solutions are key to building a sustainable future. The global demand for lithium-ion batteries is expected to touch $57.4 billion in 2024 and go up to $98.5 billion by 2030. New courses Globally, momentum for battery technology is gathering momentum with universities such as Stanford and MIT in the U.S. establishing courses involving electro-chemistry for manufacturing of batteries. Similarly, in Germany, the Technical University of Munich has included topics such as manufacturing of batteries and their recycling in its curriculum. In India, academic institutions such as IITs and IISc have initiated programmes like Energy Engineering and Battery Materials and Design, which lag behind their international counterparts in practical exposure and industry collaborations. This area requires strategic partnerships to enhance the quality of education and prepare students by integrating internships, research projects, and hands-on training into the curricula. The growing adoption of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources underlines the need for innovation in battery chemistries. Advanced chemistries like Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) and Nickel Manganese Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NMCA) are leading this evolution. LMFP combines the safety and longevity of Lithium Iron Phosphate with a much higher energy density, ideal for EV applications, while NMCA enhances energy efficiency, reduces cost, and minimises the use of critical materials like cobalt. Another promising development is in solid-state batteries, which are safer and provide better energy density than traditional options, though scalability issues also remain. The collaboration between academia and industry is critical to the development of battery research, as can be seen from successful examples such as the partnership between Tesla and Dalhousie University or CATL and Tsinghua University. Indian institutions need to initiate research activities that align with real-world applications and industrial demands. If academic efforts can be aligned with practical needs, India can contribute to innovation in the field of battery engineering and drive the global energy transition. Battery technology plays a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but its production and disposal are serious environmental concerns. Recycling and closed-loop systems offer promising solutions. For example, recycling lithium-ion batteries can save up to 30% of CO₂ emissions compared to mining new materials and recover up to 95% of valuable metals like nickel, cobalt, and lithium. A circular system can reduce waste by 60%. Educational institutions must incorporate these sustainability principles into their engineering curricula and prepare future engineers to design batteries that are easier to recycle and reuse so that environmental harm can be minimised while meeting the growing demand for energy storage solutions. Specialised career paths The battery industry offers diverse and specialised career paths. Current mainstream options include design engineers, assembly operators, solid-state researchers, and circular economy analysts. The preparation of the next generation of battery engineers will be critical to meet the surging demand for clean energy and sustainable technologies. It is in the collective efforts of academia, industry stakeholders, and policymakers that a skilled workforce can be built to drive the global transition to a greener, more energy-efficient future. The writer is the Co-Founder and Director, Vidyuta Materials Pvt. Ltd.
