FAW announced an electric car with a range of 1000 km thanks to new battery chemistry

Chinese FAW Group, one of the country's largest car manufacturers and a partner of Volkswagen and Toyota, has implemented a new semi-solid lithium-manganese (Li-Mn) battery in a production model.

What is known

The 142 kWh energy storage has an energy density of 500 Wh/kg at the cell level — about twice the indicators of modern lithium-ion batteries. The manufacturer claims a range of 1000 km. However, in real conditions, this figure will be lower. Moreover, the actual range depends not only on the battery but also on aerodynamics, vehicle mass, drive efficiency, and operating conditions.

The key feature of the new battery is the use of manganese. Most semi-solid batteries use a gel-like electrolyte, and cathode materials are often similar to common lithium-ion batteries. For example, NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) or NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminum). However, the industry is increasingly transitioning to cathodes with higher manganese content.

This trend is noticeable beyond China as well. General Motors and Ford have announced plans to use lithium-manganese cathode batteries (LMR) in future electric vehicles to reduce dependence on nickel and cobalt — expensive and problematic materials in terms of ecology and supply chains. Chinese manufacturers are also working on LMFP (lithium-iron-manganese-phosphate) batteries.

Recently, car manufacturers have actively reported new breakthroughs in battery technology. BYD claims a significant increase in the lifespan and charging speed of its solid-state cells. Toyota's battery development partner launched a pilot production line in Japan. However, not all such projects will be implemented quickly or at the expected cost.

Nevertheless, the current dynamics show that over the next decade, battery characteristics for electric vehicles could substantially change compared to today's standards.

Source: InsideEVs