"If lithium iron phosphate batteries improve their performance with the new material manganese and gain additional advantages, such as the patent expiring this year, they will be able to compete with NCM batteries for the next 10 years." CEO of Remplir, Kim Su-jin predicted a rapid increase in the competitiveness of lithium iron phosphate batteries at the seminar "Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries: Opportunity or Crisis?" held at the Thelec conference room in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul on the afternoon of the 10th.

Remplir possesses the ability to design cathode materials, a key component of batteries. He emphasized that the application areas of lithium iron phosphate batteries will expand, including 100% Renewable Electricity (RE100), energy storage systems (ESS), smart factories, and smart grids. He specifically predicted that adding manganese to lithium iron phosphate could improve energy density by more than 10%, leveraging the advantages of ternary batteries like nickel, cobalt, and manganese (NCM).

Kim said, "With the expiration of the lithium iron phosphate battery patent this year and increased cost competitiveness, many R&D personnel will be rushing into the field. Compared to ternary batteries, there's still considerable room for performance improvement, so I believe the market will grow significantly."

He also cited a study by the Technical University of Munich in Germany comparing the performance of the Tesla Model 3, equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the Volkswagen ID.3, which uses ternary batteries, and found that the Model 3 outperformed in driving range and charging time.

While the Model 3 is about 120 kg heavier and has a lower battery energy density, it overcame these limitations with a cell-to-pack (CTP) battery pack design that eliminates modules. China's two leading battery manufacturers, CATL and BYD, have adopted "module-less" technologies, known as CTP and blade batteries, respectively. 

Thanks to these advantages, LFP batteries are expected to more than triple their share of the global battery market, from 10% in 2015 to 30% by 2030. Meanwhile, Remplir possesses diverse battery design capabilities, including LFP. It is also working on a project in China to process LFP cathode materials, which currently have an energy density of 120 mAh/g, to increase it to around 150 mAh/g.

Source : ThElec (http://www.thelec.kr), a media outlet specializing in electronic components.