EV Battery Startup Gains GM’s Support Amid Shifting Focus to Cost-Effective Materials

According to the company’s announcement on Wednesday, General Motors is funding a Silicon Valley startup to expedite the creation of a more cost-effective battery chemistry for its next electric vehicles.

A two-year-old Mountain View, California, firm called Mitra Chem utilizes artificial intelligence to hasten the development of lithium-ion battery materials, and GM will lead a $60 million investment in it.

After 2025, some of General Motors’ Ultium batteries could use lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP), a cutting-edge iron-based cathode active material that Mitra Chem will assist the automaker in developing.

Alternatives to the nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) alloy used in many current EV battery cathodes include lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and LMFP with manganese added. But, batteries made of iron often don’t hold as much power.

Although LFP battery cells were created in the United States, Chinese firms like BYD and CATL presently control the majority of the world’s production.

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Mitra Chem and GM Forge Path for Sustainable Batteries with LFP Materials

According to Golan, the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act “is one of the key drivers” in GM’s work to establish a U.S.-based supply chain for LFP batteries and next-generation materials alongside Mitra Chem and others.

The IRA offers incentives for North American-sourced battery materials, components, cells, and packs.

In the second half of the decade, according to Golan, some GM vehicles may be equipped with batteries manufactured from materials developed by Mitra Chem that are iron-rich. He said that GM already used LFP batteries in China for their electric cars.

Nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum cathode cells, which are more expensive than LFP cells but have a greater driving range than LFP cells, are now used in GM’s Ultium batteries.

GM’s Ultium batteries now use nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum cathode cells, which are more expensive than LFP cells but offer a longer driving range.

Battery specialists claim that the essential components of LFP and LMFP cathodes are often less volatile and comparatively more abundant than nickel and cobalt.

Vivas Kumar, chief executive officer, Will Chueh, chief scientific adviser, and Chirranjeevi Gopal, chief product officer, all contributed to the founding of Mitra Chem.

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Source: Reuters