At the risk of overdoing attention for the need to shift from gas to electric cars, it’s been one aspect of Sustainable Living that readers of my blogs can readily do something about. The shift is good for our climate. It also makes driving far less expensive. The report for this blog announces considerable gains in batteries, which are the biggest single-item cost for an e-car.
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New EV batteries are making electric cars cheaper and safer
A chemistry change is coming to U.S. and
European EVs, which could reduce costs and fires.
The Washington Post
February 19, 2025
A new kind of battery could make American EVs cheaper and safer, experts say. But first, it will have to overcome trade barriers between the United States and China.
If you bought an EV with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, you could expect lower car payments, less fire risk and more years of use out of your car — but you wouldn’t be able to go as far on a single charge as you could with the nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries commonly found in American and European electric cars. That trade-off has made LFP batteries the go-to choice for standard-range EVs in China, helping to make electric cars more affordable and limit pollution.
Now, American companies are starting to build their own LFP batteries to catch up to their Chinese rivals. Scott Moura, an environmental engineering professor at the University of California at Berkeley, said …
“I definitely suspect that there will
be some homegrown LFP chemistries
in the next couple years, and we’ll
start to see it grow quite rapidly
over the next five to 10 years.”
But there are plenty of barriers for U.S. companies that want to adopt a technology dominated by Chinese firms. Tariffs and tax credit restrictions have made it too expensive for most American automakers to import LFP batteries from China, and national security concerns have made it hard for American companies to partner with Chinese battery makers to build factories in the United States.
Those challenges may get harder under President Donald Trump, who has threatened to raise tariffs and trade barriers with China. Alex Holland, research director at the market intelligence firm IDTechEx, said …
“If there are tariffs, restrictions, whatever
the case may be, that makes the shift
toward LFP likely a lot more difficult.”
A U.S. battery becomes Chinese
Although American scientists invented LFP batteries in 1997, U.S. automakers didn’t invest in the technology. Instead, they bet on NMC batteries because they have longer range, a big concern for American EV buyers. Adrian Yao, who founded STEER, a technology research group within Stanford University, said …
“Everyone in the West thought LFP was
a nonstarter five or six years ago. We
really did have a myopic focus on range.
That left the door open for Chinese companies to perfect LFP batteries, which have a few advantages. Instead of pricey nickel and cobalt, they use iron, which makes them 20 percent cheaper than NMC batteries, according to the International Energy Agency. While NMC batteries can be recharged up to about 1,000 times before they go kaput — which is enough to put 200,000 miles on most EVs — LFP batteries can last two or three times as long, according to Moura.
Plus, LFP batteries’ chemistry makes them less likely to catch fire and easier to extinguish. An NMC battery, on the other hand, is so flammable that “you could put it underwater or in space, and it’ll keep burning because the oxygen it needs to keep the flame going is embedded within itself,” Moura said.
That safety advantage is key, because Chinese firms figured out they could pack LFP cells closer together inside a battery pack without risking a fire.
That meant they could cram more energy into LFP batteries and nearly catch up to the range of NMC batteries. Last year, the Chinese battery giant CATL made the first LFP battery with more than 600 miles of range.
Since LFP batteries are made from common materials and last longer, they also have a smaller environmental footprint than NMC batteries.
At first, Chinese automakers used cheap LFP batteries to bring down the price of entry-level EVs designed to travel short distances within cities. Yao said …
“More urban driving conditions
in China made it make sense.”
But as companies stretched the range of LFP batteries, most Chinese EVs switched over to the cheaper and safer chemistry over the past five years. Now, pretty much all LFP batteries come from China, according to the International Energy Agency. Yao said …
“They’ve taken it 20 steps further
than the West has ever done.”
Bringing LFP batteries back home
LFP batteries are starting to crop up in some of the standard-range versions of American EVs: Ford debuted them in its Mach-E sedan in 2023 and F-150 Lightning pickup truck in 2024, and Rivian began using them in the basic trims of its R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck this year.
But there are downsides to using LFP batteries from China. Last year, Tesla stopped selling its basic-trim Model 3 in the United States because it uses Chinese LFP batteries, which meant it wouldn’t qualify for U.S. EV tax credits and forced Tesla to pay tariffs.
To avoid tariffs, American automakers are looking into building their own LFP batteries in the United States. Shortly after it discontinued its LFP Model 3, Tesla posted a job for a senior engineer to lead a team developing LFP batteries. Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Moura said …
“I suspect that Tesla is looking closely at
LFP chemistry and trying to figure out how
they can manufacture them themselves
to reduce reliance on other suppliers.”
Ford’s troubled plan to make LFP batteries in the United States shows why it’ll be hard for other automakers to follow its lead.
Two years ago, Ford announced a plan to build an LFP factory that would use CATL’s technology but be owned and operated by a Ford subsidiary. U.S. politicians accused Ford of being “a front for China” and demanded investigations. China investigated the deal over concerns CATL would give away its tech secrets. After many delays, Ford is building a smaller version of the plant in Michigan, set to open in 2026.
While other planned LFP plants have also faced pushback because of their ties to Chinese companies, American LFP factories are slated to open this year in St. Louis and next year in Arizona.
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The transition to e-car driving is slow in the U.S. First, of course, we’re used to gas cars; it’s what we grew up with and it’s been all we’ve known. Second, we produce a lot of oil, and the oil industry will do whatever it can – as any business will do – to preserve its business … regardless. With its huge political contributions, elected officials will remain loyal to the oil industry. In fact, Trump has now told GSA to remove all e-car recharge stations from federal buildings. So …
While other countries move forward to less expensive and toxin-free driving, as air quality is also better – led by Norway and other Nordic nations – we’ll be “swimming upstream.” However, the transition – despite causing us to change a long-standing habit – will continue. Recharge stations are everywhere – and for cross-country driving they can even be located in very short distances with an app. As brands, body type varieties are increasing, and current purchase and maintenance costs recede, the transition is good for us and for our environment.
While Trump hasn’t yet eliminated the IRA, which gives you a $7500 purchase price reduction for an e-car of your choice – because it’s an act of Congress, not an executive order – he’s said we wants to eliminate the act, and may soon succeed in doing so. Meanwhile the savings, as these new batteries are used, will likely cut purchase costs even more.
