GM tp Go with LMC Batteries

Investment Analysis Clubs Macro Economic Trends and Risks
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https://insideevs.com/news/759374/gm-lmr-battery-chemistry-ev-trucks-suvs/
General Motors and Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution have jointly developed a new lithium manganese rich (LMR) battery chemistry that promises to extend driving range and lower the cost of electric trucks. The new batteries will debut on GM’s models in 2028.

Electric vehicle batteries come in different flavors, shapes and sizes. The most common batteries use nickel manganese and cobalt (NMC) chemistries, while some also add aluminum to the mix (NCMA). Lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries are also gaining steam with significant cost advantages, but they typically deliver lower range compared to NMC and are less popular here. They are far more common in China, where LFP tech has advanced rapidly.

https://insideevs.com/news/810064/gm-lmr-battery-production-at-spring-hill-lges/
The automaker has confirmed the factory where it will mass-produce the lithium-manganese-rich cells.
The automaker expects the LMR chemistry to deliver 33% more range than current lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, which are dominant in China and the preferred low-cost cell industry-wide. The LMR batteries will be installed in GM’s full-size trucks and SUVs, and the automaker said they will deliver north of 400 miles of EPA range.

At their very core, LMR batteries are similar to traditional nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cells. They just use a far lower percentage of cobalt and nickel, which are dirty and expensive to mine. Instead, the LMR battery will use a much higher percentage of manganese, which GM said is easier to source and costs less to mine and process.

That’s part of the reason GM said the LMR battery will cost nearly the same as the LFP batteries, while delivering superior driving range. GM EVs with the highest driving range will still use NMC batteries—LMR will slot between that and the low-cost LFP cells.

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Someone should pin this next to Elon Time to see how they compare.

The Captain

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GoogleAI:

General Motors (GM) is making a massive, multi-billion-dollar bet to bypass the industry standard by scaling up Lithium Manganese-Rich (LMR) prismatic batteries for its heavy-duty EVs by 2028. While the rest of the automotive world is leaning heavily on cheap Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) cells, GM and its joint venture partner LG Energy Solution are retrofitting their Spring Hill, Tennessee factory to establish the world’s first mass-production hub for LMR technology. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The skepticism is entirely fair—manganese batteries have historically been plagued by rapid degradation and “voltage fade,” leading many to call GM’s 2028 timeline a severe case of “corporate wishful thinking” or an legacy-auto version of Elon Time. [1, 2]

:bar_chart: The Tale of the Tape: GM Time vs. Elon Time

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:high_voltage: Why the Industry Thinks GM is Bluffing

Most battery experts view LMR as “not ready for prime time”. Manganese is incredibly cheap and abundant compared to nickel and cobalt, and GM promises a 33% boost in energy density over affordable LFP batteries. However, making these cells last longer than a few hundred charging cycles without losing power has stumped labs for decades. GM claims they have solved the degradation dilemma, citing rigorous testing equivalent to 1.4 million miles of real-world driving. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

If GM actually begins slapping these into commercial Chevrolet Silverados and Escalade IQs by 2028, they will have leapfrogged the entire global supply chain—including China. If they hit a technical wall, “2028” will simply join the long hall of fame of optimistic clean-tech timelines. [1, 2]

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