General Motors, a leading American automaker, may scrap plans to use lower-cost, iron-based battery chemistry in its future electric vehicles (EVs). The company had initially planned to develop lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for use in its EV models, with production set to begin in late 2027 at a jointly owned plant in Tennessee.

Alternative Battery Chemistry

However, GM’s head of battery technology, Kurt Kelty, stated that the company is now focused on developing a different battery chemistry, lithium manganese-rich (LMR), which is expected to store more energy for the same weight and size as LFP. Kelty mentioned that the Tennessee factory will start production of LFP cells this month, but these will be used for energy storage systems, not EVs.

GM has been working on LMR for over a decade, and its crosstown rival, Ford Motor, is also working to scale LMR chemistry for use in future EVs. Despite the advantages of LMR, including reduced reliance on critical minerals, technical challenges such as battery weakening with use may hinder mass adoption.

Industry Trends

Many global automakers, including Tesla, Rivian, and Ford Motor, have added LFP-based EVs to their lineups to cut costs and offer more affordable electric options. Chinese carmakers have pioneered the use of LFP chemistry, which is less dense, resulting in shorter driving ranges, but also cheaper and considered safer and more durable than nickel-rich batteries used by many U.S. and European automakers.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.