General Motors battery technician Steven Petty Jr. focuses on aligning electrodes on an anode sample for a prototype LMR battery cell in the making.
Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors
WARREN, Mich. — General Motors expects to pioneer a new “groundbreaking” EV battery technology that the automaker says will reduce costs and boost profitability of its largest electric SUVs and trucks.
GM is targeting the new batteries and chemistry inside them — called lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic battery cells — to be used in full-size electric vehicles such as its Chevrolet Silverado and Escalade IQ beginning in 2028.
The new batteries use more-prevalent, less-expensive minerals like manganese instead of larger amounts of cobalt and nickel that are currently used in EV batteries from GM and other automakers.
Different EV battery chemistries impact everything from the range and safety of EVs to energy efficiency and charging capabilities, among other needs.
“LMR unlocks the premium range and performance at an affordable cost,” said Kurt Kelty, GM vice president of battery, propulsion and sustainability, during a media event at the automaker’s tech and design campus in suburban Detroit. “It’s a game-changing battery for electric trucks.”
GM’s first-to-market expectations come after crosstown rival Ford Motor earlier this month announced its intention to launch what it similarly called “game-changing” LMR batteries before 2030.
GM Research and Development Battery Cell Systems Research Director Mei Cai, Ph.D., oversees engineers developing coating materials for next-generation battery prototypes in the coating lab at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan in 2021.
GM
LMR batteries have been around for decades, but they’ve historically offered a far shorter lifespan, according to Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at auto advisory firm Telemetry.
It’s a problem GM believes it has solved with its LMR batteries, which are being developed in partnership with LG Energy Solution.
Ultium Cells, a GM and LG Energy Solution joint venture, plans to start commercial production of LMR prismatic cells in the U.S. by 2028, with preproduction expected to begin at an LG Energy Solution facility by late 2027.
LMR prismatic cells
Prismatic cells references the form, or shape, of the square battery cells. They’ve historically been used in hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius, followed more recently by EVs.
GM, for several years, has been using rectangular “pouch” cells in the U.S., while also also utilizing cylindric cells in China. GM says it first started researching manganese-rich lithium-ion battery cells in 2015, accelerating the technology development in recent years.
GM expects the new prismatic LMR batteries and supporting technologies to cut hundreds of pounds from its large EVs. The new battery packs will have 50% fewer parts as well as a significant reduction in the number of modules, or cell cases, inside the vehicles’ battery packs, GM said.
An employee holds a full-size prototype LMR battery cell at the General Motors Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center. GM has prototyped approximately 300 full-size LMR cells as it worked with LG Energy Solution to crack the code on the chemistry.
Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors
For EVs, battery cells are typically combined into battery modules, which are then installed in battery packs that get integrated into a vehicle.
Kelty said the LMR batteries will be supplemental to GM’s current pouch cell batteries, formerly known as Ultium, as well as upcoming LFP — lithium iron phosphate — prismatic battery cells that are expected to be used in smaller, entry-level EVs.
“We’re going through a massive growth phase in our EV side of the business,” Kelty said, noting that GM has surpassed Tesla as the top EV battery manufacturer in North America. “We’re really building a electrification powerhouse.”
GM expects the LMR prismatic battery cells to have 33% higher energy density, providing addition miles of range, compared with the best-performing LFP cells, but at a comparable cost.
Kelty declined to discuss the specific cost of the batteries, commonly measured in dollars per kilowatt-hour, or kWh, but confirmed the company achieved a cost reduction of $60 per kilowatt-hour last year.
Electric Chevrolet Silverado shown at the New York Auto Show, April, 2022.
Scott Mlyn | CNBC
The average cost of battery packs for EVs dropped 20% to $115 per kilowatt-hour in 2024, according to a BloombergNEF battery price survey released in December.
Abuelsamid, a former engineer turned analyst, estimates GM’s packs with LMR prismatic batteries are likely around a cost of $80 to $90 per kWh. That compares with at least $125 per kWh for GM’s current batteries, he said.
GM declined to disclose whether vehicles with LMR batteries will be profitable upon launch. The Detroit automaker said nearly 50% of its current EVs in the first quarter were variable profit positive, meaning they generated enough revenue to cover their production costs.
‘Next step’
Kelty described LMR as the “next step” in GM’s EV plans. The automaker has sunk billions of dollars into electrification as part of an ongoing, yet scaled back, plan under GM CEO Mary Barra.
In 2021, Barra said GM would exclusively offer EVs by 2035, investing $35 billion between 2020 and 2025. The company has since said customer demand — which has been slower than expected — will dictate its EV plans. It also has not disclosed its total EV investment thus far.
GM believes the LMR batteries will assist in lowering barriers for consumer adoption of EVs. Most notably, concerns around cost and range. Other hurdles, such as charging infrastructure and consumer education, remain.
GM aims to offer more than 400 miles of range in an electric truck while achieving significant battery pack cost savings compared with today’s EVs.
