GM to challenge China’s LFP monopoly with upgraded battery factory

GM said on Monday that LG Energy Solutions, a joint venture partner to upgrade its Altium Battery factory to produce lithium-iron-fospfet cells for Automaker’s low-cost EVS, said.

Factory overholes will give a significant enthusiasm for LFP production in the United States. In spite of inventive and commercialization in the United States, the Vast LFP cells are currently made in China.

The $ 2.5 billion Spring Hill, Tennessee, Battery Plant are part of the LG Chem section, Automaker and Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution, LG Chem is part of the Altium Cell LLC joint venture. The factory begins to pump lithium-ion cells, whose nickel-drawniz-conobalt chemistry, in 2024, it was about three years later First declarationThe The agency says it will start converting its battery cell lines in Spring Hill to produce LFP cells late this year, expected commercial production by the end of 2027.

The automotive industry has been gravitating the LFP batteries in recent years for their short expense and applicant security profile. The raw materials that make chemistry are cheaper and more widely available than other chemistry like Nickel-Mengianis-Cobalt (NMC) and they are less likely to catch fire.

GM is following a three-sided approach for battery sourcing for its EV range, which currently extends 12 models.

On the high end, it will continue to use NMC in models that require a longer range. For example, the longest foot Chevy Silveredo EV, using a huge 205 kW hour NMC pack to drive 492 miles on a single charge.

In the middle, GM has developed a The new chemistry is called Lithium-Manganese richOr LMR. The new chemistry slash the amount of nickel and cobalt in a cell and replaces it with cheap, domestic -available manganese. GM says the result will be a pack that provides more range than LFP today, which is comparable to LFP today. LMR cells should be hit in the market in 2028.

For entry-level vehicles, GM is planning to switch to the LFP, Andy Auli told TechCrunch in May. How many continuously been given The cost of the battery pack has come down Over time, the cost of the LFP will fall below the LMR in the coming years. Spring Hill upgrades should start producing LFP cells for commercial sales in 2027.