Ford claims lithium-manganese EV battery will unlock greater ranges at low costs
LMR boasts a higher energy density than even high-nickel batteries.
Updated: Apr 25, 2025 08:39 AM EST
A Michigan-based automobile giant has achieved a breakthrough in electric vehicle battery technology. The achievement is expected to help develop cheaper batteries that can power long-range EVs.
Ford Motor believes that it can offer lower-priced EVs that can travel farther on a single charge by the end of the decade.
Charles Poon, Ford’s director of electrified propulsion engineering, said:
After intense research and development at our state-of-the-art Battery Center of Excellence, Ion Park, I’m thrilled to share that the Ford team is delivering a game-changing battery chemistry: Lithium Manganese Rich (LMR),
LMR boasts a higher energy density
Ford has claimed that the LMR boasts a higher energy density than even high-nickel batteries. This translates to greater range, allowing customers to go further on a single charge and reducing range anxiety, according to the company.
The technology can lead to significant cost reduction in batteries when compared to mid-nickel batteries. This breakthrough is critical to achieving true cost parity with gasoline vehicles and making electric vehicles accessible to more people.
The automaker highlighted that from materials science to cell design to manufacturing processes, it’s tackling every aspect of battery technology with unwavering focus to reduce cost.
The company started by offering nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) batteries and later added lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in 2023. LMR is part of its latest step.
LMR a key enabler in offering low-cost EVs
The company in a statement, said:
Our goal is clear: to achieve cost parity with gasoline vehicles and deliver affordable customer solutions tailored to their needs.
“The introduction of LMR is a key enabler in offering electric vehicles that are both accessible and desirable,”
Poon underlined that the breakthrough achieved isn’t just a lab experiment. The company is actively working to scale LMR cell chemistry and integrate them into our future vehicle lineup within this decade. The team is already producing Ford’s second-gen LMR cells at its pilot line.
Poon, said:
The LMR work is testament to the incredible talent and dedication of our team at Ion Park.
“Our Battery Center of Excellence is home to more than 135 world-class chemists, manufacturing engineers and scientists, hailing from the top battery companies and research institutions around the globe.We have gathered them together equipping them with the most advanced equipment in the world in an environment with no boundaries.”
LMR offers numerous advantages
Previous studies have highlighted that Lithium-rich manganese-based cathode material (LMR) offers numerous advantages, including high specific capacity, low cost, and environmental friendliness.
Considered the most promising next-generation lithium battery cathode material, LMR is expected to tackle issues of limited range and low safety in electric vehicles.
Although, some have claimed that LMR materials suffer from significant irreversible capacity loss and low specific capacity during the initial charge and discharge cycles. At high current densities, they also exhibit issues such as voltage attenuation and thermal stability degradation.
However, Ford’s breakthrough is expected to address multiple challenges.
Poon, explained:
Pushing boundaries and setting new standards is what we do at Ford Ion Park.
“Our ambition is to provide affordable electric vehicles for everyone, and we’re actively working to integrate these batteries into our future vehicle lineup within this decade,”
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Ford claims lithium-manganese EV battery will unlock greater ranges at low costs, source
