Gm To Challenge China’s Lfp Monopoly With Upgraded Battery Factory

GM said Monday it is moving pinch associated task partner LG Energy Solution to upgrade its Ultium artillery mill to make lithium-iron-phosphate cells for nan automaker’s low-cost EVs.

The factory’s overhaul will springiness LFP accumulation successful nan United States a important boost. Despite being invented and commercialized successful nan U.S., coming nan vast majority of LFP cells are presently made successful China.

The $2.3 cardinal Spring Hill, Tennessee, artillery works is portion of nan Ultium Cells LLC associated task betwixt nan automaker and Korean artillery shaper LG Energy Solution, a section of LG chem. The mill began pumping retired lithium-ion cells, which person a nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry, successful 2024, astir 3 years aft it was first announced. The institution said it will statesman converting its artillery compartment lines astatine Spring Hill to nutrient LFP cells later this year, pinch commercialized accumulation expected by precocious 2027.

The automotive manufacture has been gravitating to LFP batteries successful caller years for their debased costs and appealing information profile. The earthy materials that dress up nan chemistry are cheaper and much wide disposable than different chemistries for illustration nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC), and they’re besides little apt to drawback fire.

GM has been pursuing a three-pronged attack to artillery sourcing for its EV range, which presently spans 12 models.

At nan precocious end, it will proceed utilizing NMC successful models that require longer range. The longest-legged Chevy Silverado EV, for example, uses a monolithic 205 kilowatt-hour NMC battalion to thrust 492 miles connected a azygous charge.

In nan middle, GM has developed a new chemistry it calls lithium-manganese-rich, aliases LMR. The caller chemistry slashes nan magnitude of nickel and cobalt successful a compartment and replaces it pinch cheaper, domestically disposable manganese. The result, GM said, will beryllium a battalion that delivers much scope than LFP astatine a costs that’s comparable to LFP today. LMR cells should deed nan marketplace successful 2028.

For introduction level vehicles, GM is readying to move to LFP, Andy Oury told TechCrunch successful May. Given really consistently battery battalion costs person travel down complete time, it’s apt that LFP costs will driblet beneath those for LMR successful nan coming years. The Spring Hill upgrades should commencement producing LFP cells for commercialized waste successful 2027.