The Elec称通用汽车LMR方形电池量产将采用韩国供应链：实地考察壳盖厂商，POSCO Future M试产正极

General Motors (GM) will use South Korean suppliers in the production of lithium manganese-rich (LMR) batteries. The batteries are designed to offer competitive costs and longer driving ranges, with GM planning to install them in mainstream models for the U.S. market.
According to industry sources on Oct. 13, GM recently conducted on-site inspections at South Korean battery component suppliers as it prepares to mass-produce prismatic LMR cells. The batteries, which GM is developing jointly with LG Energy Solution, use a prismatic design. Securing suppliers for metal battery cans and caps is therefore important. The companies under consideration are not suppliers to Samsung SDI. They are understood to be LG Energy Solution partners capable of manufacturing cans and caps for prismatic cells.
LMR batteries reduce the use of expensive nickel and cobalt while increasing the proportion of relatively inexpensive manganese. This can lower costs compared with conventional high-nickel batteries while delivering higher energy density than lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
GM is changing the LMR battery design from the structure used in its earlier prototypes. Batteries are classified by form factor as prismatic, pouch or cylindrical. GM has chosen a prismatic design for its LMR cells, using a rectangular metal casing. Prismatic batteries offer high structural stability but require more complex mechanical engineering.
The LMR battery unveiled last year was produced at GM's own research facilities and used a top-terminal design, with the positive (+) and negative (-) terminals positioned on the top of the cell. The battery was taller than it was long. The version planned for mass production will switch to a side-terminal design, placing the positive and negative terminals on opposite sides of the cell.
The side-terminal design is intended to reduce battery height and increase length, allowing the cells to fit within the limited space inside a vehicle while increasing energy capacity. The approach could improve interior packaging and deliver sufficient driving range without increasing vehicle body height.
GM is also working with South Korean companies on key battery materials, in addition to components. It is testing the performance and manufacturability of LMR cathode materials with POSCO Future M. LMR cathodes have faced commercialization challenges because voltage tends to decline as the battery undergoes repeated charging and discharging cycles. Companies are developing technologies to stabilize the cathode's internal structure and apply protective coatings to its surface.
POSCO Future M is producing LMR cathode prototypes at a pilot plant at its technical research center in Sejong. The facility is being used to test production processes ranging from raw material blending and synthesis to heat treatment.
GM has also relied on South Korean equipment makers for battery production. Its Battery Cell Development Center (BCDC) in Michigan has a pilot production line with annual capacity of 500 megawatt-hours (MWh). The facility is designed to validate manufacturing technologies for mass-produced LMR batteries, with equipment for key processes supplied by PNT, Wonik PNE, Mplus and SEC.
GM expects LMR batteries to deliver about 33% higher energy density than LFP batteries while maintaining similar costs. The company aims to install the cells in midsize electric pickup trucks and achieve a driving range of more than 400 miles (about 643 kilometers) on a single charge. That would exceed the range of competing electric pickups equipped with LFP batteries.
The all-wheel-drive (AWD) version of KG Mobility's Musso EV, which uses LFP batteries from China's BYD, has a driving range of 342 km. Ford is also developing an electric pickup truck targeted for launch next year with a reported range of about 300 miles (480 km). Ford plans to manufacture LFP batteries at its own plant in Michigan using technology transferred from China's CATL and install them in the vehicle.
GM has selected the Spring Hill plant in Tennessee, operated by Ultium Cells, its joint venture with LG Energy Solution, as the production site for LMR batteries. The company plans to begin plant expansion and equipment modifications by the end of this year, with preparations for mass production to be completed by 2028.