Today, the majority of electric vehicles on the market use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) or nickel manganese cobalt (NMC or NCM) batteries, while some brands are also working on sodium-ion batteries. However, Ford has announced a new battery chemistry that will appear in its lineup of electric vehicles this decade. Known as Lithium Manganese Rich (LMR), it was created at the Ford Battery Excellence Center in Michigan.
The manufacturer claims that the LMR battery is as responsible for safety as an LFP battery pack. In addition, the lithium-manganese-rich battery has a higher energy density than high-nickel ones.
Ford believes that this battery will help achieve cost parity with internal combustion engine (ICE) models.
Ford’s Director of Electrified Powertrain Engineering, Charles Poon, writes that the new LMR batteries have a higher energy density than high-nickel batteries. He added that they will offer “a greater range, allowing our customers to travel further on a single charge and reducing range anxiety.”
The LMR battery was developed with the aim of achieving the same safety profile as LFP batteries, and they promise to be “significantly” cheaper than current mid-nickel category batteries. Poon continued, calling LMR batteries the answer to the question “what’s next?”, while Ford already sells electric vehicles based on lithium iron phosphate and NCM technologies.
Furthermore, it is noted that this new battery will also help Ford achieve cost parity between electric vehicles and gasoline-powered cars. There is no information on whether Ford collaborated with any existing partners on the development of LMR battery chemistry, such as CATL, LG, or SK On; meanwhile, Poon simply praised the more than 135 “renowned chemists, manufacturing engineers, and scientists” at the Ford site.
“This is not just a laboratory experiment. We are actively working on scaling LMR-based cells and integrating them into our lineup of future vehicles throughout this decade. The team is already producing second-generation cells on our pilot line,” he added.
The development of this new battery is proceeding despite the slow implementation of many of Ford’s plans from last year, including the cancellation of a three-row electric SUV and the postponement of the new electric version of the F-150. However, they are still working on a medium-sized electric pickup and a new electric car, among other consumer electric vehicles.