Carmakers Race to Control Next-Generation Battery Technology

The transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, said last month that a failure to innovate hurt his hometown, South Bend, Ind., once home to Studebaker, which went out of business in the 1960s.

“Innovation is central to the past, present and future for our auto industry, and we see that right now with the opportunity for America to lead the electric vehicle revolution,” he said.

Cheaper and More Durable Batteries

The most immediate change coming is in the building blocks of batteries.

Most lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles rely on nickel, manganese and cobalt. But some automakers, including Tesla and Ford, are moving to use batteries in at least some vehicles that rely on lithium iron phosphate, which is popular in China.

These LFP batteries, as they are known, cannot store as much energy per pound, but they are much less expensive and last longer.

Tesla plans to offer LFP batteries in shorter-range, lower priced electric vehicles. Ford is planning to use them in some trucks sold under its Ion Boost Pro brand for fleet owners.

“It could be delivery, it could be plumbers, electricians, landscapers that work in a fixed geographic zone,” said Mr. Thai-Tang, the Ford executive.

Ford is teaming up with SK Innovation of Korea to make its batteries, but it hopes to bring much of that manufacturing to the United States, Mr. Thai-Tang said. “That will reduce some of the geopolitical as well as just logistics cost challenges.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/business/next-generation-auto-battery.html