GM, LG Energy Solution Disclose Progress on New-Type Lithium-Rich Manganese-Based Prismatic Battery, Aiming for Mass Production in 2028

US automaker General Motors announced on Tuesday that it will collaborate with its partner LG Energy Solution to launch a new-type lithium-rich manganese-based (LMR) prismatic battery, aiming to become the first automaker to deploy this type of battery in electric vehicles (EVs).

(Source: General Motors' official website)

This highly anticipated new technology primarily breaks through by significantly reducing battery costs.Battery cathodes require materials such as cobalt, nickel, and manganese, with cobalt being the most expensive. The lithium-rich manganese-based battery employs a higher proportion of manganese, making it not only more cost-effective but also capable of providing greater battery capacity and energy density.

According to the company, in the current mainstream high-nickel ternary (NMC) batteries, cobalt and nickel account for 10% and 80% of the cathode materials, respectively, whereas in the lithium-rich manganese-based battery, manganese makes up 60%-70% of the cathode, cobalt only accounts for 0%-2%, and the nickel content can also be reduced to 30%-40%.

General Motors stated that the energy density of the lithium-rich manganese-based prismatic battery is 33% higher than that of the top-performing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery.With similar costs, this new battery can provide a longer driving range.

The announcement revealed that this new battery is expected to commence pre-production at LG Energy Solution's factory by the end of 2027. Ultium Cells, the battery joint venture between General Motors and LG, plans to initiate commercial production of the lithium-rich manganese-based prismatic battery in the US in 2028. General Motors intends to be the first to use this new battery in full-size electric SUVs and electric trucks.

The company anticipates that, with the support of this new battery technology, General Motors' EVs will be able to offer a driving range exceeding 400 miles (approximately 643 kilometers), while also achieving higher gross margins for these car models.

It is worth mentioning that US automaker Ford also announced last month that it plans to launch LMR battery products in 2030. Therefore, General Motors emphasizes "being the first to deploy and launch" primarily to outshine its US peers.

Cost reduction is key

It is reported that for many years, General Motors has been using rectangular "pouch" batteries in the US and cylindrical batteries in China.

In recent years, as the prospects for lithium-rich manganese-based batteries have become clearer, General Motors and LG Energy Solution have accelerated the development of this technology. General Motors disclosed that the two parties have already produced nearly 300 full-scale prototypes of LMR battery cells.

General Motors expects that the new lithium-rich manganese-based prismatic battery and its supporting technologies will enable EVs to "shed" hundreds of pounds.The company stated that the number of battery pack components could be reduced by 50%, and the number of internal modules within the battery pack could also be significantly reduced.

Kurt Kelty, Vice President of GM's Battery, Propulsion Systems, and Sustainability, said that lithium-rich manganese-based batteries would complement existing "pouch" batteries and prismatic LFP batteries. He declined to disclose the current cost of GM's LMR batteries, only stating that a cost reduction of $60 per kWh was achieved last year

. A public survey at the end of last year revealed that the average cost of EV battery packs in 2024 had decreased by 20%, to $115 per kWh. Industry analysts indicated that the cost of GM's adoption of lithium-rich manganese-based batteries might be around $80 to $90 per kWh, significantly cheaper than the company's existing battery cost of $125 per kWh.

GM declined to disclose whether EVs equipped with lithium-rich manganese-based batteries could achieve profitability upon launch. The company had previously stated that among EVs on sale in the first quarter of this year, 50% of car models had already been able to fully cover their production costs.

This technology had previously faced some challenges. It is known that lithium-rich manganese-based batteries may experience significant capacity degradation, which implies reduced driving range and decreased thermal stability.

GM stated that it had overcome these obstacles and would minimize related risks through innovative production processes. The company revealed that even under extreme temperatures, the performance of LMR batteries was expected to be comparable to that of GM's first-generation high-nickel batteries