General Motors Developing Mixed-Chemistry Battery Pack for Electric Vehicles
General Motors is developing a battery pack that would utilize two different chemistry makeups in an effort to boost efficiency and potentially cut costs, according to Green Car Reports.
The plans are outlined in a patent filed by GM on Aug. 2, 2023, which was recently released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Nov. 28, 2024.
Two battery chemistries—nickel manganese cobalt and lithium iron phosphate—would be inside one battery pack, split into modules used for different purposes. A controller would determine whether one chemistry or another is used based on factors including temperature and state of charge.
How exactly would this help save costs? While NCM offers higher power, LFP cells are cheaper. Bringing the two together would help achieve a balance between performance and affordability, GM stated in its filing.
The automaker is also open to using different chemistries that may accomplish this balance, too. Certain chemistries are able to charge faster, and may even lead the way to smaller battery packs, which could also help lower costs.
The research is much-needed, as we recently shared a study from McKinsey & Company suggesting that diversification of battery chemistries will be needed to avoid supply chain buildups in the near future.
