Early NMC cells used about a third of the nickel, manganese and cobalt. GM’s current “high nickel” ultim cells changed most of the cobalt for the nickel, while also added aluminum. About 5 % cobalt and 10 % are manganese, rest, nickel and aluminum, GM battery engineer Andy Ary said.
However, LMR cells substitute manganese – something cheap and more and more – some precision nickel and practically for all cobalts. He, Oriy said, 60 to 70 percent manganese, 30 to 40 percent nickel, and only 2 percent cobalt.
The new chemistry, in the second type of cell, will also use a new module format. Its executives said that the standard Ultam NMCA module was the right solution for each vehicle to launch the existing lineup of 12 different EV models for GM. Going forward, the company imagines using different chemists for different purposes: NMCA for high performance and its highly qualified model, LMR for long -range, and LFP for its minimal expensive models.
Cheap Long Range Electric SUV and Truck
So if the LMR chemistry in fact produces a cell that costs less to make LFP with maximum energy density, it can be a game changer – which includes North America’s competitiveness against China in the main sector of battery growth and production.
“LMR will complete our high Nick and iron phosphate solutions to increase customer selection in the entire size SUV markets,” said Kurt Kalty, vice president of GM battery, propulsions and stability. “The US will advance the battery innovation, and create jobs in the future,” he said.
In particular, the LMR pack will reduce the cost of some entire size EV truck and SUV model to bring their prices closer to their petrol counterparts. It is very important to increase the sales of entire size EV models, which has not yet entered the same quantity and market like GM’s compact and medicine EV crossover.
