Ford Develops New LMR Battery For Future EVs

Ford’s new Lithium Manganese Rich battery chemistry will offer impovements across the board in future EV models

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Most EVs currently on the market use lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) or nickel manganese cobalt (NMC or NCM) batteries, while some brands are also working on sodium-ion batteries. Now, Ford has announced a new battery chemistry that will come to its line-up of EVs this decade. Known as Lithium Manganese Rich (LMR), it has been brought to life at Ford’s Battery Center of Excellence in Michigan.

Writing on LinkedIn this week, the director of electrified propulsion engineering at Ford Charles Poon claims that the new LMR batteries boast a higher energy density than high-nickel batteries. He added that they will offer “greater range, allowing our customers to go further on a single charge and reducing range anxiety.”

Read: Ford’s Experiment In EV Distribution Hubs Is Over

The LMR battery has been engineered to achieve a safety profile similar to LFP batteries, and they promise to be “significantly” cheaper than current mid-nickel batteries. Poon went on to describe the LMR batteries as the answer to “what next?” with Ford already selling LFP and NCM-powered EVs.

Ford said this new battery will also help it achieve cost parity between EVs and gasoline-powered vehicles. There’s no word on whether Ford collaborated with any of its existing battery partners on the development of the LMR chemistry, such as CATL, LG, or SK On, with Poon simply crediting the more than 135 “world-class chemists, manufacturing engineers and scientists,” at the Ford site.

“This isn’t just a lab experiment. We’re actively working to scale LMR cell chemistry and integrate them into our future vehicle lineup within this decade. The team is already producing our second-gen LMR cells at our pilot line,” he added.

The development of this new battery comes despite Ford slowing many of its EV plans last year, including axing a three-row electric SUV and delaying a new electric version of the F-150. However, it is still working on an electric mid-sized pickup and a new electric van, among other consumer-focused EVs.