GM really wasn’t kidding about those new LMR EV batteries

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In March 2025, when everyone was anticipating that US President Donald Trump would end the electric vehicle revolution in its cradle, General Motors decided the time had come to introduce the idea of ​​next-generation LMR (lithium manganese rich) electric vehicle batteries to the car-buying public. What were they thinking? The writing was already on the wall. U.S. electric vehicle sales plummeted after Trump’s allies in Congress eliminated the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, and the recovery will be a long, hard road. And yet, GM thought the vehicle electrification movement would pick up after all, eventually…

GM has an LMR trick up its sleeve

GM is among the American automakers that retired their electric vehicle lines last year, after the federal EV tax credit died prematurely. However, the company still kept its LMR batteries on the back burner through Ultium Cells, a joint venture between it and leading company LG Energy Solution.

Now all that hard work is about to pay off. On September 29, GM announced that the Ultium battery facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will be upgraded to produce battery cells based on the new LMR formula, and the automaker will naturally make decisions about the production of its next electric vehicles.

In terms of reviving interest in electric vehicles among the car-buying public, the announcement is significant. While GM withdrew its electric vehicle plans last year, the automaker pivoted toward stationary energy storage systems with the low-cost LFP (lithium iron phosphate) formula, which can also be applied to electric vehicle batteries. The new focus on LMR is a concrete sign that GM sees the EV market recovering and recovering in a way that accommodates other low-cost formulas besides LFP.

“By producing multiple chemistries, including high-nickel lithium iron phosphate (LFP), and now LMR, in both pouch and prismatic formats, Ultium Cells demonstrates its ability to adapt quickly as battery technologies evolve to meet a wide range of applications, from electric vehicles to energy storage,” GM explains, noting that its investments in LFP and LMR will total a combined $2 billion by 2030, which is just around the corner. from the corner.

The long road to LMR batteries for electric vehicles

If you’re wondering why the well-known NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) battery formula will remain on the company’s roster, that’s a good question. GM vice president of batteries and sustainability Kurt Kelty notes that the company’s high-nickel batteries continue to target markets where long range is a priority.

LMR batteries come into the picture when affordability is the primary goal. GM hopes the new formula will offer improved performance at a lower cost than other EV batteries that fall into the higher affordability category.

GM, of course, isn’t the only automaker looking at the LMR formula. Manganese is abundant on Earth and is less expensive than other battery materials. Ford, for example, is one of the other interested parties spending a lot of time and money on research and development to get the material to perform in an electric vehicle battery. Short lifespan and voltage drop are among the notable shortcomings addressed during the initial stages of R&D.

Competition aside, GM is determined to win the race. After spending a good ten years working out the kinks in partnership with LG, in May 2025 GM finally let slip the news that an LMR battery was in the works, pitching the new formula as “a leap forward that will offer consumers electric vehicles with an attractive combination of long range and low cost.”

“GM aims to become the first automaker to deploy LMR batteries in electric vehicles,” the automaker emphasized in a May 13, 2025 press release.

“Ultium Cells, a joint venture of GM and LG Energy Solution, plans to begin commercial production of LMR prismatic cells in the United States by 2028, with pre-production expected to begin at an LG Energy Solution facility in late 2027,” the company added.

The initial pitch was for LMR to keep an eye on the company’s line of electric trucks and full-size SUVs. so it will be interesting to see where the new formula lands.

GM to the White House: Hello…? Anyone at home…?

Regardless of the Trump administration’s crusade against electric vehicles, the new LMR formula has raised eyebrows. In July 2025, the Energy Efficiency Institute at the University of California-Santa Barbara said the new battery was GM’s response to China in the race to develop batteries for more affordable electric vehicles.

“Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries were a made-in-America innovation, but China ended up cornering the market for what became the world’s leading battery solution for low-cost electric vehicles,” UC-Santa Barbara noted.

“Now, after a decade of development, General Motors has announced a battery breakthrough that could help American manufacturers make up ground: LMR, or lithium-manganese-rich batteries,” the school enthused.

That praise was not an isolated event. In October, GM’s new battery won Battery Innovation of the Year at the 15th annual Battery Show North America. Almost at the same time, fast company also leveraged the battery for its “Next Big Things in Tech 2025” list.

With this week’s announcement, GM further hinted at hot competition with China for share of the global electric vehicle market, emphasizing that its LMR batteries provide 33% greater energy density than the LFP formulation, at a comparable cost.

“Beyond flexing manufacturing power, bringing this new battery cell to market first is a milestone in keeping the United States globally competitive in leadership in battery and electric vehicle technology,” GM emphasized again for good measure.

It’s interesting! Last week, GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra was among U.S. corporate representatives at the White House state dinner held in honor of Chinese President Xi Jingping. Evidently, Barra aims to see GM grab a piece of the global EV pie, with or without a little support from White House policymakers.

And then there’s Tesla…

The big question is whether US industry leader Tesla will turn its attention to the LMR formula. If you know the answer, please leave a note in the discussion thread. For now, however, affordability is not at the center of the iconic automaker’s plans as it prepares for the official launch of the $200,000 Tesla Roadster EV on October 1.

That’s $250,000 if you want to qualify for Founder status, but who’s counting?

Photo: Regardless of the sharp U-turn in federal energy policy, General Motors is on track to make electric vehicle batteries based on an LMR formulation that offers improved performance at a lower cost (trimmed LMR battery, courtesy of GM).