Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in EV cars - ChargeLab

Vehicles powered by internal combustion engines use electrical, chemical, and mechanical processes to turn liquid fuel into kinetic energy. Electric vehicles are a bit simpler. The local power grid creates the energy they use on a much larger and more efficient scale. The car only needs to store enough of that energy to turn its wheels, illuminate its headlights, and power all the in-cabin necessities from AC to satellite radio. 

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So it’s simpler, but not simple. There are a lot of different ways to store that EV energy. One solution popping up more and more is lithium iron phosphate batteries. While these batteries aren’t an all-new technology, several recent developments and advancements are helping them gain ground in the EV market.

What are lithium iron phosphate batteries?

Lithium iron phosphate batteries are a type of rechargeable battery made with lithium-iron-phosphate cathodes. Since the full name is a bit of a mouthful, they’re commonly abbreviated to LFP batteries (the “F” is from its scientific name: Lithium ferrophosphate) or LiFePO4. They’re a particular type of lithium-ion batteries commonly used in everything from EVs to home powerbanks to cell phones.

What is LFP batteries’ market standing in comparison to other types of EV batteries? The most common type of EV battery is still lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), which had a global market share of 60% as of the end of . But the market share for LFP batteries grew fivefold from just 6% in to 30% in .

These big swings in foundational technology show the EV market is still in a time of massive growth and change. 

Explore beyond the basics of EV batteries. Uncover insights and innovations in our in-depth resource on sustainable transportation. 

What makes EVs with LFP batteries a good choice?

EVs with LFP batteries often present several important perks over their NMC counterparts. Here are some of their most common benefits:

Affordability

Batteries currently account for about 30 to 40% of the total cost of an EV. That means any reduction in the expense required to source, process, and manufacture EV batteries could have a massive impact on how much the overall vehicle costs to build and buy.

While NMC batteries rely on comparatively rare and expensive resources such as nickel and cobalt, iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth’s crust. Phosphates are also relatively common. The more common components of lithium iron phosphate batteries mean they can be produced in greater quantities by more suppliers around the world, leading to reduced costs.

Sustainability and human rights

Since we have a good amount of iron and phosphates at our disposal, there is less danger of running out of these LFP battery components. There is less need to disrupt otherwise intact ecosystems to obtain them. And once an LFP battery reaches the end of its operational life, promising recycling initiatives may be able to put many of its components back into use.

On the flipside, the NMC batteries found in many EV batteries require more rare materials, meaning they’re in greater danger of running out. Since manufacturers have fewer options in sourcing these materials, they may also have more difficulty avoiding ecological and human rights problems in their supply chains.

Lifespan

One of the most significant advantages of this technology is the lithium iron phosphate battery lifespan. According to one study, LFP batteries can deliver nearly five times as many discharge cycles as NMC batteries over their operating life. They are also less vulnerable to degradation when charging faster, which means they may better handle the use of speedy Level 3 chargers over time.

It’s important to note that many different factors influence how long any given battery will operate at peak efficiency. That includes operating temperature, how much of the battery is discharged before being charged again, and how much energy demand the battery must handle at once. But taken overall, lithium iron phosphate battery lifespan remains remarkable compared to its EV alternatives.

Safety

While studies show that EVs are at least as safe as conventional vehicles, lithium iron phosphate batteries may make them even safer. This is because they are less vulnerable to thermal runaway—which can lead to fires—than NMC batteries when damaged or defective.

If nickel-cobalt batteries short circuit internally, they can begin to heat up and release oxygen. This oxygen then serves as a potential fuel source for fire, creating a self-sustaining reaction that is difficult to extinguish. LFP batteries contain no oxygen, meaning they are less likely to burn even if they do malfunction.

What are the drawbacks of lithium iron phosphate batteries?

While LFP batteries have several advantages over other EV battery types, they aren’t perfect for all applications. Here are some of the most notable drawbacks of lithium iron phosphate batteries and how the EV industry is working to address them.

• Shorter range: LFP batteries have less energy density than NCM batteries. This means an EV needs a physically larger and heavier LFP battery to go the same distance as a smaller NCM battery. Fortunately, cell-and-pack level advancements are bringing the two types of batteries closer to range parity.

• Cold weather sensitivity: Low temperatures can mean reduced capacity and power output for LFP batteries. However, their standard operating range of -4°F (-20°C) to 140°F (60°C) means they’re well-suited for the majority of consumer driving conditions.

• Less accurate ranges: LFP cells have an extremely flat discharge curve for much of their cycle, which makes it more difficult to assess their current charge level accurately. Newer battery management systems are able to provide a more accurate look at their remaining range.

• Patent limitations: LFP EV batteries got a slower start worldwide due in large part to patents limiting their use. Many of these patents expired in , opening the batteries up for international applications.

Build a better EV infrastructure with ChargeLab

It may be some time before the EV industry settles on a single battery technology—or it may always be an area of innovation and change. But whatever kind of batteries they’re packing, drivers will always need to charge them. That’s why we’re proud to offer our customers the best operating system for EV chargers.

► Electric car battery tech explained
► Your guide to the latest EV batteries
► Capacity, cost, dangers, lifespan

Electric cars are increasingly looking like the future of motoring, which means we’re all going to have to get used to battery technology. If you don’t know your kilowatts from your kilowatt-hours it can be daunting at first, but it really doesn’t take long to master the jargon.

In this useful guide, we’ll explain how electric car batteries work, what to look for when buying an EV (electric vehicle), and how to identify cutting-edge battery tech against the stuff that’s already followed Betamax and floppy disks into the dustbin of history.

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What kind of batteries do electric cars use?

Most new electric cars on sale today use battery tech that’s fundamentally the same: hundreds of individual cells packed into modules of pockets to make one large battery. The biggest ones are massive, measuring a few metres long and weighing several hundred kilos; this is why most are placed under the floor inside a car’s chassis in what’s sometimes called a skateboard configuration.

“It’s important to differentiate,” explains former Tesla and now Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson. “The small, individual elements are the cells – the finished unit is the battery.” They’re bundled together into a battery unit, which is conditioned to maintain an optimum operating temperature regardless of the summer or winter climate outside, as shown in our diagram below.

There are two main types of electric car battery commonly used today:

1. Lithium-ion battery  Used by most EV makers (eg Tesla, Jaguar)
2. Nickel-metal hydride  Seen in hybrids (eg Toyota)

The underlying chemistry isn’t that different to the batteries in your mobile. Most modern smartphones use lithium-ion batteries for quick charge cycling – this is what you’d find in an Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy mobile, just deployed on a giant scale.

Requirements are complex: they need to be able to store a lot of energy, but also recharge quickly, and retain their energy density over many thousands of charging cycles, all the while being pummeled by roads, potholes and whatever the great British weather throws at them…

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Are you interested in learning more about Electric Vehicle Lithium Battery? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Electric car battery capacity

To provide the energy required to propel a car weighing two tonnes and upwards, EV batteries are generally pretty large. Their energy capacity is normally measured in kilowatt-hours (or kWh), denoting the battery’s energy storage over a specific time. You can think of this as the size of a fuel tank in a combustion-engined vehicle.

So a 100kWh battery in a Tesla Model S (above) is capable of delivering a maximum of 100 kilowatts of energy for one hour straight. Typical day-to-day driving will use considerably less energy than that, so in fact the battery will last for several hours before needing to be recharged.

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How long do batteries in electric cars last?

If you’re considering an EV, it’s important you pick a car with a battery capacity big enough to suit your needs. If most of your driving is short hops or school runs around town, a smaller battery capacity will be fine.

A new breed of small electric cars, such as the Honda E, are arriving with relatively puny battery capacities. The Honda has a small 35kWh battery, enough for around 130 miles of range. That should be sufficient if you live in town, but many will want more range, which is why Jaguar equips its i-Pace with an 85kWh battery for a 292-mile claimed range.

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It’s very simple: the more range you need, the bigger the battery pack you should specify – or accept you’ll need to charge up more frequently.

The smallest batteries today are around 30-something kWh, whereas the largest range up to 100kWh. Tellingly, the price of the larger batteries is significant. Our advice is not to be scared off by the smaller capacities, so long as you have home charging and a modest commute.

Longevity, reliability and warranties

How long an EV battery lasts isn’t just a question of daily range, of course. Some buyers are worried about how long the battery itself will last – but all the evidence suggests that your car will not suffer a catastrophic battery death like your ageing mobile might.

There are so many cells in a typical EV battery that they retain capacity even after hundreds of thousands of miles; although they won’t perform as well as when box-fresh and new, they will keep holding charge for many, many years to come and the internet is full of high-mileage electric and hybrid cars still working well into their dotage. The expected electric car battery life is at least a decade and our advice is your car will fall apart before your battery fails.

We drive the 100,000-mile old Tesla

This is why all new electric cars on sale today come with long warranties, guaranteeing around 70% original capacity even after seven or eight years’ use:

• BMW i3  Eight years/100,000 miles
• Hyundai Kona Electric  Eight years/100,000 miles
• Kia e-Niro  Seven years/100,000 miles
• Jaguar i-Pace  Eight years/100,000 miles
• Nissan Leaf (below)  Eight years/100,000 miles

It’s also why residual values of EVs has risen in recent years, as the market clocks on to how an ageing first-gen Nissan Leaf is still a great buy.

Why are electric car batteries so expensive?

These huge batteries pack a lot of very expensive – and rare – metals in them, meaning they cost a lot of money. It’s the reason why electric cars are so expensive, compared with their more conventional petrol or diesel counterparts. That intensively mined lithium ain’t cheap…

Happily, the cost of batteries is gradually coming down, even if we’re some way off EVs becoming as cheap as petrol equivalents. Porsche R&D boss Michael Steiner recently told CAR: ‘I do not see in the first half of this decade a good chance of a breakthrough in battery technology. We will see step-by-step incremental benefit with lithium-ion batteries. We predict a 2-3% improvement year-by-year in lithium-ion battery tech.’

Solid state batteries: could this be the breakthrough we need?

Who owns the battery in an electric car?

Most batteries are now included in the purchase price of an EV, but in the early days of electric cars, in the Noughties, some manufacturers would sell you the car but lease the battery separately.

Renault was one brand that did this, but this system has almost universally stopped now. It was a way of making EVs look cheaper at point of purchase – but you’d be tied to a monthly lease deal, paying finance on the battery much like you spread the cost of your mobile or Netflix over many months in a subscription deal.

It was a bit of a false economy and proved difficult to explain in the secondhand car market, where buyers were put off the idea of buying a car without having ownership of the battery.

Dangers and envionmental impact

Electric car batteries are rigorously tested and manufacturers put plenty of safety systems in place to make sure they’re safe. If you’ve spent the last few years driving around with highly flammable petrol or diesel stored in your fuel tank, there’s really nothing to worry about.

Yes, there are very high voltages involved, but passengers will never be exposed to dangerous shocks, and in any case the batteries are typically protected from impacts by being packaged low down in the middle of the car to prevent them from being damaged in a crash, which could cause a fire.

Environmental impacts? There are numerous studies suggesting that while an EV is more expensive to manufacture, it is in fact better for the environment over its whole lifecycle. And when an electric car reaches the end of the road, those valuable batteries can be removed and used to store energy – solar or off-peak mains-supplied – to power your home more efficiently. Smart energy supply systems are the next big thing, according to many industry watchers.

What is a solid state battery?

Solid state technology could represent the next big leap for electric cars, and it’ll be able to deliver considerably more range in a more compact package. Simply put, solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte as opposed to the liquid or polymer gel one found in current lithium-ion batteries. This means a smaller footprint with less cooling requirements, and overall less space needed to package the powertrain than conventional battery tech. There’s a reason why most EV concepts back their insane ranges up with solid state tech.

Find out more about solid state tech here

The end of Lithium-ion?

Not exactly. Although lithium-ion is fundamentally inferior as a technology when compared to solid state, it’s not out of the race just yet. Companies such as StoreDot have years of R&D experience with lithium-ion tech, and they’re still finding ways to stretch it further.

For example, StoreDot has recently revealed a new fast-charging technology which could allow for a rate of 100 miles for every 5 minutes of charge by . Mass production is due in the same year, and with investors including Daimler, BP, Volvo and Polestar it could just keep lithium-ion in our EVs for years to come. 

Further electric car reading

The fastest electric cars on sale today

Plug-in Car Grant: government incentives for EVs

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Cylindrical Lithium-ion Cell.