Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) has been getting loads of attention in battery circles for use in cheap EV solutions and long-range premium models. LFP is being offered by Tesla as an alternative to Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminium (NCA) ### LFP shows great promise over nickel rich chemistries *Lower manufacturing costs of an LFP system compared to Ni-rich counterparts*, particularly Nickel Magnesium Cobalt Oxide (NMC): - Price of precursor materials for LFP **(8 dollars / kg)** is far cheaper than for NMC 811 **($30/kg)** --> Enabling a **cost reduction of 28%** including the extra components at the pack level, LFP yields a **32% cost reduction** - LFP has superior stability to withstand many more charge-discharge cycles, providing significant reductions in levilised cost of storage *Lower supply chain risk in LFP over NCA or NMC* - Removing nickel and cobalt, makes a localised supply chain more achievable, reducing risk and increasing the environmental credentials of the produced cells - LFP can be made w/ lithium carbonate rather than hydroxide, requiring less processing and reducing energy usage *Better pack level performance of LFP to Ni-rich counterparts* - Cells can be more densely packed with less protective casing - Reduced cooling and safety requirements - BYD’s LFP-based Blade pack can achieve 156-170 Wh/kg and 286-333 Wh/L, compared to 145-171 Wh/kg and 186-249 Wh/L for NMC 622. - Based on Exawatt’s bottom-up model calculations, current LFP formulations can achieve 171 Wh/kg at pack level, shy of NMC 811 by just 6 Wh/kg. In the longer term, ** pairing LFP with a solid electrolyte** could enable LFP to be competitive even at the cell level (delivering 250 Wh/kg, according to a recent QuantumScape claim, vs 270-300 Wh/kg for NMC 811, based on bottom-up modelling and a review of major cell manufacturer goals. --- Opportunities for Investment: - [BYD](http://www.byd.com/en/index.html) - [Seeking Alpha](https://seekingalpha.com/article/4451540-byd-the-star-in-chinas-ev-space) #batteries #kp