Integrals Power has provided new details on the discharge rates and durability of its innovative LMFP cathode material. The British battery technology company emphasises that its approach delivers higher energy density than LFP technology while remaining more cost-effective than NMC cell chemistry.
Integrals Power is developing an LMFP cell chemistry for electric vehicle batteries, with LMFP standing for lithium, manganese, iron, and phosphate. While the chemistry itself is not new, the UK-based firm claims that its proprietary material technology and patented manufacturing process enable it to avoid the typical drop in specific capacity that usually accompanies an increased manganese content.
In this latest development, Integrals Power has increased the manganese content to 80 per cent. According to the company, this allows for an energy density 20 per cent higher than that of LFP cells. The innovation also boasts a higher specific capacity of 150 mAh/g and operates at a voltage of 4.1V – compared to 3.45V for LFP and 3.7V for NMC.
To further validate its technology, Integrals Power has now submitted its LMFP cathode material for testing to research and development firm QinetiQ. According to the company, the material was integrated into pouch cells, combined with “standard commercial-grade graphite anodes and liquid electrolyte.”. Discharge performance and capacity retention tests followed, with promising results: at a 5C charge rate, the LMFP material retained 92 per cent of its original capacity. At a more moderate 2C rate, retention was 99 per cent, while at an extreme 10C charge rate, the figure was still 60 per cent.
Integrals Power believes it is on track to deliver “battery packs to deliver an optimal balance of high performance, long range, and long life that exceeds the capability of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) but at less cost and less reliance on critical minerals than Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM).”
