New Generation LFP Cells for Electric Vehicles

This article is linked to a previous article by Rahul Bollini in the EVreporter April 2025 edition about the 4th Gen High-Compaction-Density LFP Cathode Active Material (CAM).

It is well known that LFP cells have been gaining market share in most types of electric vehicles, and NMC cells have been losing market share. LFP cells already lead the low and medium-range electric vehicles segment, and their comparatively lower volumetric energy density is keeping them from replacing NMC cells in higher-range electric vehicles.

Similarly, LFP cells have taken over most of the commercial vehicle market due to their various advantages, such as low cost, high safety, and high cycle life. But some commercial vehicles still use other chemistry cells, such as NMC, to achieve a higher range, given NMC’s low space utilisation due to its high volumetric energy density.

LFP cathode material by itself has reached a saturation when it comes to improving the material’s discharge capacity. Only the compaction density of LFP material is being improved, and hence, high compaction density LFP material plays a vital role in improving the gravimetric energy density due to lower electrolyte usage and improving the volumetric energy density due to its enhanced packing density.

New generation LFP cells for commercial vehicles have just been launched, and they increase the energy rating of the C packs deployed in commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks.

The table below compares old-generation LFP cells and new-generation LFP cells utilised in commercial vehicles, and their configuration and energy rating in C Pack and G Pack.

Enhanced energy rating with higher gravimetric energy density in C Pack and G Pack ensures that fewer packs with new generation cells can achieve the same energy rating as compared to the number of packs that were using older generation cells.

Similarly, higher volumetric energy density cells have been upgraded for electric cars, for example, a 106Ah LFP cell has been upgraded to a 122Ah LFP cell by retaining the same dimensions and thereby enhancing the gravimetric energy density from 176Wh/Kg to 193Wh/Kg and enhancing the volumetric energy density from 373Wh/L to 429Wh/L.

New-generation cells with high gravimetric and volumetric energy density are further efforts to take some more market share from NMC cells in electric vehicles.

More generations of LFP cells with higher compaction density are expected in the future, and by using a silicon-based carbon anode, it can drive the gravimetric energy density of LFP cells above 200 Wh/Kg.

Additionally, LFP+NMC hybrid cells are also in the works, which can give the benefit of both worlds, high safety and cycle life of LFP and high gravimetric and volumetric energy density of NMC, and it is expected to reach 225Wh/Kg.

About the author

Rahul Bollini, Bollini Energy

Rahul is an R&D expert in Lithium-ion cells with 10 years of experience. He founded Bollini Energy to assist in deep understanding of the characteristics of Lithium-ion cells to EV, BESS, BMS and battery data analytics companies across the globe. Contact | +91-7204957389; bollinienergy@gmail.com.

This article was first published in EVreporter Dec 2025 magazine.

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