Ford Motor Co., like many other car companies, is leaning in on developing and producing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) to power their electric vehicles. LFP batteries are exceptionally durable and use fewer high-demand, high-cost materials than nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries. Ford is the first automaker to commit to building both NCM and LFP batteries in the United States.
When Ford's announced its $3.5 billion investment to build the country’s first automaker-backed LFP battery plant, BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, it concurrently shared a short explainer on the pertinent differences between the two chemistries. The narrator is Charles Poon, Ford's Global Director of Electrified Systems Engineering, and someone who knows his way around a battery of either chemistry. Take a look:
