Author:
Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD
Date
06/30/2025
PDF
Jason Lomberg, North American Editor, PSD
Perhaps the most critical factor for our electrified future is energy density – whoever boosts the lifeblood of tomorrow’s EVs stands at the bleeding edge of innovation. And General Motors is aiming for that spot, partnering with LG Energy Solutions to commercialize lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic battery cells, an industry first.
LMR would supplant the undisputed king of batteries, lithium-ion – a $130 billion+ juggernaut found in everything from laptops to cell phones and even electric vehicles.
Lithium-ion and its variations – NMC (Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt), NCA (Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum), LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) – sport high energy density, long cycle life, fasting charging, and more. But they’re also susceptible to thermal runaway, they’re relatively pricey, and not only does their disposal present environmental concerns, but their core components -- cobalt, graphite, and lithium, amongst others – are rare minerals.
The whole rare mineral supply is, in part, what keeps us tethered to China commercially. If we can cultivate our own key mineral allotment, our domestic markets could skyrocket. Even better is if we don’t need those key minerals at all (or only the most plentiful ones).
That’s where lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic battery cells come in, combining high energy density – 33% higher compared to the best-performing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) based cells – with affordability and more abundant supplies.
Traditional battery cathodes use minerals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, with two of these being in short supply (and hence, pricey). But according to GM, which is teaming up with LG to produce next-gen batteries for the former’s Ultium vehicle platform, LMR solves a lot of the supply issues.
Typical high nickel battery cells break down to roughly 85% nickel, 10% manganese, and 5% cobalt, while LMR is only 35% nickel, 65% manganese, and almost no cobalt. Manganese is far more common than the other two.
GM is also building “prismatic” cells – vs “pouch” cells in high nickel packs – which will make them a better fit (literally) for full-scale trucks and SUVs. These cells will also reduce battery module components by 75% and total pack components by 50%.
Of course, commercializing these batteries won’t be easy, as LMR has traditionally suffered from a short lifespan and “voltage attenuation.” But GM feels they’ve sidestepped those issues.
They’ve endeavored to “optimize the materials in our LMR cells, adding proprietary dopants and coatings, along with particle engineering, process innovations, to achieve the right energy density and arrangement of battery materials inside the cell to keep them stable.”
None of this will happen overnight – GM has been working on LMR batteries since 2015, but they’re aiming to produce the first cells from a pilot line in 2027, with full-speed ahead by 2028.
