GM’s new EV battery cell for pickups, SUVs expected by ’28
GENERAL MOTORS
LMR cells are cheaper because manganese costs less than nickel and cobalt, and because prismatic cells are more efficient and easier to assemble, GM said.
LMR cells are cheaper because manganese costs less than nickel and cobalt, and because prismatic cells are more efficient and easier to assemble, GM said.
DETROIT — General Motors says it has developed a new battery cell with joint venture partner LG Energy Solution that will bring down costs on mainstream electric vehicles without compromising on range.
The cell, called lithium manganese-rich, or LMR, is expected on the market by 2028 starting with pickups and full-size SUVs. It also will be the first commercial application of prismatic EV battery cells by Ultium Cells, the companies’ joint venture.
GM’s current-generation EVs are powered by pouchstyle lithium ion batteries, with cathodes made from nickel, manganese, cobalt and aluminum. GM said LMR cells are cheaper because manganese costs less than nickel and cobalt, and because prismatic cells are more efficient and simpler to assemble.
“It unlocks the premium range and performance at an affordable cost. It’s a game-changing battery for electric trucks,” Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice president of battery, propulsion and sustainability, told reporters at the automaker’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Mich. “We believe we can deliver more than 400 miles of range in a single charge in a truck, while significantly reducing our battery costs.”
To date, GM has used the same battery chemistry and form across its entire EV lineup, underpinning everything from the Chevrolet Equinox EV compact crossover to the GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV.
Kelty, who joined GM last year after spending 30 years working with lithium ion batteries at companies including Panasonic and Tesla, has said the automaker’s future EVs will incorporate a range of form factors and chemistries. GM envisions lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, cells in some smaller, entry-level EVs to provide an estimated 350 miles of range at a lower price, Kelty said.
Nickel-rich formulas, meanwhile, can be reserved for the longest-range and highest-performance EVs, with range reaching 490 miles, GM said. The Chevy Silverado EV full-size pickup, for instance, tops out at this range.
LMR cells cost about the same as the LFP batteries but offer 33 percent more energy density and greater range — at least 400 miles, GM said, allowing an EV with an LMR battery to weigh hundreds of pounds less than one with an LFP battery offering similar range.
Expanding GM’s battery options is part of the automaker’s effort to reduce EV costs, improve range and charging performance, and further localize its battery supply chain, Kelty said. GM, for instance, in 2023 signed a deal with Australian supplier Element 25 to source manganese sulfate through a facility in Louisiana.
Prismatic packs require half as many parts as pouch-style batteries, Kelty said. The automaker also is preparing to build prismatic cells at a joint venture plant with Samsung SDI starting in 2027.
Other companies are exploring LMR cells, including Ford Motor Co., which in April said it planned to use them in EVs within this decade.
Kelty said GM wants to offer multiple battery configurations on the same vehicle to give customers choices on price and range.
High-nickel batteries will “continue to be well-suited to specialty or premium applications, or customers who absolutely want the highest range,” said Andy Oury, a GM battery engineer and business planning manager.
“What’s exciting about LMR is that we can take that affordable chemistry and we can expand it much further across the portfolio,” Oury said. “That’s really going to be critical to growing and unlocking this market.”
GM started research on the new battery cells in 2015, building prototypes at its tech center. LG Energy Solution also has gotten more than 200 patents related to the technology since 2010, the companies said.
“This is a good strategy for the industry,” said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry.
“LMR provides a really nice compromise in a lot of ways between LFP and the nickel-rich cells that have been dominant in the North American market.”
Kushal Narayanaswamy, GM’s director for advanced battery cell engineering, said the automaker’s work on LMR cells has accelerated in the past five years.
Last year, he said, GM researchers applied 1 ton of LMR cathode materials, which equates to roughly 300 large-format LMR prismatic cells. Those cells underwent testing equivalent to about 1.5 million miles of driving.
The cell, called lithium manganese-rich, or LMR, is expected on the market by 2028 starting with pickups and full-size SUVs. It also will be the first commercial application of prismatic EV battery cells by Ultium Cells, the companies’ joint venture.
GM’s current-generation EVs are powered by pouchstyle lithium ion batteries, with cathodes made from nickel, manganese, cobalt and aluminum. GM said LMR cells are cheaper because manganese costs less than nickel and cobalt, and because prismatic cells are more efficient and simpler to assemble.
“It unlocks the premium range and performance at an affordable cost. It’s a game-changing battery for electric trucks,” Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice president of battery, propulsion and sustainability, told reporters at the automaker’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Mich. “We believe we can deliver more than 400 miles of range in a single charge in a truck, while significantly reducing our battery costs.”
To date, GM has used the same battery chemistry and form across its entire EV lineup, underpinning everything from the Chevrolet Equinox EV compact crossover to the GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV.
Kelty, who joined GM last year after spending 30 years working with lithium ion batteries at companies including Panasonic and Tesla, has said the automaker’s future EVs will incorporate a range of form factors and chemistries. GM envisions lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, cells in some smaller, entry-level EVs to provide an estimated 350 miles of range at a lower price, Kelty said.
Nickel-rich formulas, meanwhile, can be reserved for the longest-range and highest-performance EVs, with range reaching 490 miles, GM said. The Chevy Silverado EV full-size pickup, for instance, tops out at this range.
LMR cells cost about the same as the LFP batteries but offer 33 percent more energy density and greater range — at least 400 miles, GM said, allowing an EV with an LMR battery to weigh hundreds of pounds less than one with an LFP battery offering similar range.
Expanding GM’s battery options is part of the automaker’s effort to reduce EV costs, improve range and charging performance, and further localize its battery supply chain, Kelty said. GM, for instance, in 2023 signed a deal with Australian supplier Element 25 to source manganese sulfate through a facility in Louisiana.
Prismatic packs require half as many parts as pouch-style batteries, Kelty said. The automaker also is preparing to build prismatic cells at a joint venture plant with Samsung SDI starting in 2027.
Other companies are exploring LMR cells, including Ford Motor Co., which in April said it planned to use them in EVs within this decade.
Kelty said GM wants to offer multiple battery configurations on the same vehicle to give customers choices on price and range.
High-nickel batteries will “continue to be well-suited to specialty or premium applications, or customers who absolutely want the highest range,” said Andy Oury, a GM battery engineer and business planning manager.
“What’s exciting about LMR is that we can take that affordable chemistry and we can expand it much further across the portfolio,” Oury said. “That’s really going to be critical to growing and unlocking this market.”
GM started research on the new battery cells in 2015, building prototypes at its tech center. LG Energy Solution also has gotten more than 200 patents related to the technology since 2010, the companies said.
“This is a good strategy for the industry,” said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry.
“LMR provides a really nice compromise in a lot of ways between LFP and the nickel-rich cells that have been dominant in the North American market.”
Kushal Narayanaswamy, GM’s director for advanced battery cell engineering, said the automaker’s work on LMR cells has accelerated in the past five years.
Last year, he said, GM researchers applied 1 ton of LMR cathode materials, which equates to roughly 300 large-format LMR prismatic cells. Those cells underwent testing equivalent to about 1.5 million miles of driving.