GM's big new battery tech push

Lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) batteries could offer a rare combination in energy storage: high energy density at lower costs. They swap much of the expensive nickel for abundant, affordable manganese. But technical hurdles — like poor cycle life, voltage decay, and long formation time — kept them on the sidelines. Now GM says it’s solved these challenges. In May, it announced plans to mass produce LMR batteries starting in 2028. In energy density, the new chemistry would land between the two major alternative chemistries in the U.S., NMC and LFP. So what does this new entrant mean for the U.S. battery market? In this episode, Shayle talks to Kurt Kelty, VP of battery, propulsion, and sustainability — and a 30-year battery industry veteran who led Tesla’s battery development for over a decade. Shayle and Kurt cover topics like: What parts of the U.S. battery supply chain to on-shore or near-shore The tradeoffs between LFP, LMR, and high-nickel chemistries The roles that Kurt sees for all three in the market Shifting production lines and supply chains from NMC to LMR Why LFP may still outcompete LMR in the stationary market Resources: General Motors: Why LMR batteries will change the outlook for the EV market AutomotiveDive: GM, LG Energy target commercializing manganese-rich batteries for EVs WSJ: An Ex-Tesla Engineer Is Turning EVs Into Affordable Family Cars Catalyst: What happened at Northvolt? Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor. Catalyst is brought to you by Anza, a platform enabling solar and storage developers and buyers to save time, reduce risk, and increase profits in their equipment selection process. Anza gives clients access to pricing, technical, and risk data plus tools that they’ve never had access to before. Learn more at go.anzarenewables.com/latitude. Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform, by visiting energyhub.com.