Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery: An Overview

Hemanth Kumar J
9 min readAug 28, 2022

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There has been a constant demand to replace IC Engine Vehicles with EVs to combat the unprecedented climate change crisis. Concerns and Challenges in the Energy storage domain have become a topic of research. The battery is an integral part of an EV. Most of the battery packs used in the EVs consist of Lithium-Ion Cells. Li-Ion Cells are predominantly utilised because of their high energy density & low cost. These Li-Ion battery packs are susceptible to thermal runaways and catastrophic explosions. Scientists & EV stakeholders have started to find suitable materials to replace the Li-Ion Battery packs. Over the years, we have heard about scientists working towards developing solid-state battery packs, sodium-ion battery packs and many other materials. Lithium Iron Phosphate or Lithium Ferrophosphate(LFP) battery packs have caught the attention of the EV industry after leading EV manufacturers like Tesla decided to start using manganese-free lithium iron phosphate battery packs in all their electric vehicles. LG Energy Solutions have started to develop LFP Cells for EV applications. In my blog, I will explain the advantages & disadvantages of a lithium-iron-phosphate battery.

Lithium Ferrophospahte Battery Pack

What is a Lithium Ferrophosphate Battery? How Does It Work?

Lithium Ferrophosphate Battery Pack is a lithium-ion battery that uses lithium iron phosphate at the cathode. A graphite carbon electrode with a metallic backing is used as an anode. LFP is a polyanion compound comprising more than one negatively charged element. The atoms of LFP are arranged in a crystalline structure forming a 3D network of lithium ions compared to the 2D slabs from nickel manganese cobalt. Lithium Salt is used as an electrolyte.

LFP Battery Architecture

The LFP Battery packs work like lithium-ion battery packs. The movement of Lithium ions creates a flow of electrons between the two electrodes and generates an electric charge outside the battery.I will explain the working principle of the LFP battery pack in Charging & Discharging Conditions.

Charging & Discharging Process In The LFP
  1. Charging Conditions: While charging the Lithium Ions, travel from the cathode to the anode via the electrolyte. When fully charged, the anode stores more lithium ions than the cathode.
  2. Discharging Conditions: While discharging the reverse of charging occurs. The Lithium ions on the anode travel from the cathode to the anode.

The Advantages of LFP Batteries Over Other Batteries

It has been touted that LFP battery packs will play a vital role in energy storage applications. The advantages of LFP battery packs are as follows:

  1. Long Cycle Life: The cycle life of other types of Li-ion battery packs is 2000 cycles. The cycle life of a solid-state lithium battery is 10,000 cycles. The cycle life of a sodium-ion battery pack is 3,000 to 6,000 cycles. The cycle life of an LFP battery pack is 2,750 cycles to 12,000 cycles.
  2. Low Self Discharge Rate: LFP battery packs have a low self-discharge rate. Their self-discharge rate is as low as 5% per month. On the other hand batteries like NiCad has a self-discharge rate of 1% per day. This enables fast charging.
  3. Safer Than Other Battery Packs: LFP battery packs are safer than other battery packs because of their chemistry. The chemical structure of LFP hinders the release of oxygen. It prevents thermal runaway. The release of oxygen can burn the battery pack completely.
  4. LFP Battery Packs Can Operate High Temperatures: The Lithium Titanate Battery Pack can operate between -40 degree celsius to +50 degree celsius. The Lithium Cobalt Oxide Battery Pack can operate between +25 degree celsius to +55 degree celsius. The Lithium Manganese Cobalt Oxide Battery Pack can operate between -20 degree celsius to +55 degree celsius. The LFP Battery Pack can deliver the best performance at temperatures as high as +500 degree celsius. Therefore, they are suitable for energy storage applications in regions with high temperatures.
  5. No Negative Effects On The Environment: The LFP Battery Packs do not contain toxic metals. There are no chances of chemical leakage from the LFP battery pack.
  6. LFP Battery Packs Are Compact & Light Weight: LFP Battery Packs are compact in size. They are also lightweight. There‘s no memory effect in the LFP Battery Pack. Memory Effect is defined as the reduction in the longevity of a rechargeable battery’s charge, due to incomplete discharge in previous uses.

Limitations of LFP Batteries

Despite advantages like long cycle life, excellent performance at high temperatures, low discharge rate and many other beneficial properties of the LFP Battery pack, there are some limitations with the LFP Battery Packs. The limitations are as follows:

  1. High Cost: The LFP Battery Pack is quite expensive as compared to other Lithium-Ion Battery Packs. An 8 amp hour LFP Battery Pack costs $95-$105 while an 8 amp hour sealed lead acid battery costs around $12-$15.
  2. The LFP Battery Pack Doesn’t Work Efficiently At Low Temperatures: The LFP Batteries batteries do not perform at temperatures as low as -32 Degree Fahrenheit. Therefore they are not suitable for energy storage applications in low-temperature regions.
  3. Low Energy Density: The LFP Battery Pack has a stable and long-lasting energy density when compared with other types of Lithium-ion battery packs. The Energy Density of an LFP Battery Pack is twice the energy density of a Lithium Titanate Battery Pack but it has a low energy density when compared to Lithium Cobalt Oxide Battery Packs & Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide Battery packs. Therefore protection systems are required.
  4. Requires A Special Charger: A specifically designed charger for the LFP Battery Pack is required to counter the Cell Balancing Issues in the LFP Battery Pack. Cell Balancing is defined as the process of equalizing the voltages and state of charge among the cells when they are at a full charge.
Energy Density of Various Types of Lithium Ion Battery Packs

Recent Developments & Market Trends in LFP Batteries

The global LFP Battery Market size was USD 8.37 Billion in 2020. It is projected to grow from USD 10.21 Billion in 2021 to The global lithium iron phosphate battery market is projected to grow from $10.12 billion in 2021 to $49.96 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 25.6% in the forecast period 2021 to 2028. It is touted that the LFP Market Share will increase from 33% in 2021 to approximately 47% in 2028.

LFP Market Share

More than half of Tesla’s cars are now shipped with LFP Battery Packs. Tesla’s Latest Model 3 & Model Y are now equipped with LFP Battery Packs. The company has chosen to replace the existing NCA (Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum Oxide) Battery Packs in Tesla Model 3 with LFP (lithium ferrophosphate) Battery Packs.

Elon Musk defended Tesla’s transition from NCA (Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum Oxide) Battery Packs to LFP (lithium ferrophosphate) Battery Packs by saying,” The main differences for you to consider are that the LFP battery has a slightly shorter range, 253 miles, as opposed to the NCA battery, 263 miles. But that slight difference in range is deceptive. The NCA battery probably shouldn’t be charged to 100%. Fully charging the battery causes damage to the battery making it likely to deteriorate over the years of ownership. It’s perfectly fine to charge the LFP battery to 100% so the driver experience is pretty much the same except for a couple caveats.”

LG Energy Solutions will build an LFP battery factory

LG is aiming to position itself as a leader in the North American LFP Battery Supply Chain by building a factory in Nanjing. The plant is stated to become operational next year.

Lithium Werks

Lithium Werks is a battery technology and manufacturing company. It has its headquarters in the Netherlands. It has its operations in USA, China & Europe. The firm has a 200MWh annual production capacity including coating, cell and custom module manufacturing capability. Lithium Werks own approximately 219 patents related to the LFP process & technology which includes exclusive rights to Superior LFP nano-technology, cell design, proprietary carbo-thermal reduction manufacturing method and several next-gen electro-active materials. Reliance New Energy acquired the assets of LFP Battery provider Lithium Werks for USD 61 Million. Reliance New Energy has acquired the entire patent portfolio of Lithium Werks, the manufacturing facilities in China and key business contacts.

Speaking about this acquisition. Mr Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, said “LFP is fast gaining as one of the leading cell chemistries due to its cobalt and nickel free batteries, low cost and longer life compared to NMC and other chemistries. Lithium Werks is one of the leading LFP cell manufacturing companies globally and has a vast patent portfolio and a management team which brings tremendous experience of innovation across LFP value chain. We are looking forward to working with the Lithium Werks team and are excited about the pace at which we are progressing towards establishing an end-to-end battery manufacturing and supply ecosystem for India markets.”Mr Joe Fisher, Co-Founder and CEO of Lithium Werks, said “We are pleased to become a part of the Reliance New Energy initiative. This deal means increased resources and expanded global reach, while leveraging our experienced team and IP portfolio and providing scale and momentum to help drive our product innovation, capacity expansion and accelerate our clean energy strategy”.Mr. Christian P Ringvold, Co-Founder of Lithium Werks, also commented “Reliance is committed to sustainable development and understands the importance of batteries in the transition to a fossil-free future. The company’s strong values, solid track record, and high ambitions make me confident that this is the right way forward for Lithium Werks. I am very excited to continue on this journey with Reliance”.

Will LFP Batteries Herald A New Dawn In Energy Storage Applications?

In the other sections of the blog, I explained the working principle, advantages and disadvantages of the LFP Batteries. As a concluding remark, I would like to answer the question of whether the LFP Batteries will herald a new dawn in energy storage applications. I would like to say,

The LFP Batteries are quite safer than the existing types of Li-Ion Batteries. They have a low-self discharge rate and long life cycle. LFP battery packs can be used for energy storage applications at high-temperature regions because of its ability to deliver excellent performance at temperatures as high as 500 degree celsius. On the other hand, the LFP battery aren’t able to perform at temperatures as low as Zero degree celsius and making it unsuitable for energy storage applications at low temperature regions. Low energy capacity of the LFP battery will tend to reduce the range of an EV. The researchers have to work on improving the energy capacity of the LFP battery, so that it can be used in the EVs all across the globe. The EV Battery Manufacturers must work towards investing more money and R&D resources into the LFP Battery which will reduce the price of the batteries considerably. I strongly believe that if the industry can overcome the drawbacks of the LFP batteries, then the LFP batteries will herald a new dawn in energy storage applications.

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery
  2. https://electrek.co/2022/04/22/tesla-using-cobalt-free-lfp-batteries-in-half-new-cars-produced/
  3. https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/a-closer-look-at-lithium-iron-phosphate-batteries-teslas-new-choice-of-battery/
  4. https://rebelbatteries.com/blogs/lithium-iron-phosphate/how-do-lithium-iron-phosphate-batteries-work
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  7. https://www.ludabattery.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-lifepo4-battery/
  8. https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/electronic_components/battery-technology/li-ion-lithium-ion-advantages-disadvantages.php
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  11. https://www.solacity.com/how-to-keep-lifepo4-lithium-ion-batteries-happy/#:~:text=A%20LiFePO4%20battery%20also%20weighs,%25%20a%20month%20or%20less).
  12. https://www.onecharge.biz/blog/lfp-lithium-batteries-live-longer-than-nmc/
  13. https://echandia.se/insights/article/lfp-nmc-batteries/#:~:text=G%2FLFP%20batteries%20have%20a,that%20of%20an%20NMC%20battery.
  14. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lithium-iron-phosphate-lfp-future-power-storage-samrath-kochar/?trackingId=rk0dP3MySaaGYYfr7zb24g%3D%3D
  15. https://evreporter.com/reliance-new-energy-acquires-lithium-werks-for-usd-61-m/
  16. https://seekingalpha.com/article/4528187-lithium-iron-phosphate-could-take-47-percent-battery-market-by-2026
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  18. https://www.torquenews.com/14335/teslas-lfp-batteries-important-development-battery-technology

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Hemanth Kumar J
Hemanth Kumar J

Written by Hemanth Kumar J

Horizonite’15, Deekashaite’17, RITian’21, A proud Cinephile, Mechanical Engineering Graduate, A die-hard MUFC fan, Photographer, MUNner, Meme Creator.

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