Kia and Hyundai have found a solution to lower the price of electric cars with this new battery

The main obstacle to purchasing an electric car today, this is the price. Even if the subsidies tend to lower prices and try to find a balance with their thermal and hybrid equivalents, it is clear that electric cars are even more expensive.

However, as explained in one of our recent files, with the drop in the price of kWh and that of the price of batteries in China thanks to the democratization of this technology, the prices of electron fuel vehicles should gradually decrease.

Simplify the manufacturing process to lower costs

And the Kia-Hyundai group intends to participate, since the two brands are working on a new LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery.

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As announced via a press release, Hyundai Motor and Kia have launched a project aimed at developing a cathode material for LFP battery. In collaboration with Hyundai Steel and EcoPro BM, a market leader in cathode materials, this strategy aims to directly synthesize materials without creating a precursor for the production of cathode materials for LFP batteries.

This solution would have an advantage, since the cathode materials for LFP batteries are produced by adding lithium to precursor materials such as iron phosphate and sulfate.

The direct synthesis process adds phosphate, iron powder, and lithium simultaneously without creating a separate precursor. This eliminates the precursor production step, thereby reducing emissions of hazardous substances during manufacturing and lowering production costs. And eliminating a step also means lower costs.

Let us also point out that Hyundai and Kia are working on the few weaknesses of LFP batteries, starting with low temperature performance in order to optimize autonomy when it is cold, as Renault and the Volkswagen group are currently doing.

The LFP battery as the only real credible alternative to lower prices?

Generally speaking, while waiting for the slow gestation of solid-state batteries, LFP batteries seem to be the best way to reduce the costs of electric cars.

Remember that they offer a longer cyclic life than other types of lithium-ion batteries. They can withstand a large number of charge-discharge cycles (often more than 2000 cycles) without suffering significant degradation.

Additionally, lithium iron phosphate is thermally stable and less likely to overheat, which reduces the risk of fire or explosion compared to other types of lithium-ion batteries.

Finally, LFP batteries do not use cobalt or nickelwhich are expensive and sometimes ethically problematic (mining in difficult conditions). Their production cost is therefore lower, which translates into savings for manufacturers and, potentially, for consumers.