Most of the lithium iron phosphate batteries in the world are currently produced by Chinese companies, but South Korean battery manufacturers Samsung SDI, LG New Energy and SK On have been reluctant to develop such technologies. But this situation has begun to change.
According to BusinessKorea, Samsung SDI demonstrated its lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery for the first time yesterday at the IAA Mobility 2023 at the Munich Motor Show in Germany. Compared with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, this battery adds manganese to the cathode material.
The batteries previously produced by Samsung SDI were mainly high-nickel ternary batteries, and this high-performance lithium manganese iron phosphate battery will be an important step for Samsung SDI to diversify.
The South Korean battery maker has said in the past that it plans to focus on high-end batteries, aiming to offer cheaper batteries in a cobalt-free form rather than lithium iron phosphate batteries.
However, the CEO of Samsung SDI later admitted that LFP batteries are one of the important platforms in the field of electric vehicles and are working hard to develop LFP batteries in order to diversify their business and customers.
The current automotive lithium iron phosphate battery market is basically dominated by Chinese companies. my country’s battery loadings account for more than 90% of the global market share. Currently Tesla, Hyundai Motor, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz Brands such as Dess-Benz are using such batteries.
Compared with traditional lithium iron phosphate batteries, manganese-added lithium iron phosphate batteries can increase energy density by about 15-20% at almost the same cost.
In addition, Samsung SDI has also introduced a new shape battery called “side battery”, which can transfer the positive and negative terminals of the battery from the top and bottom to the side, and this battery can also set heat dissipation on the top and bottom system, thereby improving thermal safety.
