Electric Vehicle batteries: the Li-ion packs

Four major variants that currently power EVs on the road are known as NCM, NCA, LFP and sodium-ion packs

Electric vehicle (EV) batteries will be in high demand over the next decade, as carmakers ramp up production and the carbon neutrality era draws nearer.

A total of 145 million EVs are expected to hit the roads in 2030, a massive jump from 10 million in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency.

Lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries are widely used by global carmakers to power their EVs. In a li-ion battery, lithium ions move from the negative electrode through an electrolyte to the positive electrode during discharge, and back the other way when charging.

Batteries are usually named after their cathode materials. Here are the four variants that power the EVs on the road today and in the future.

NCM battery

NCM battery is composed of lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese. Different companies use the materials in different ratios. Therefore, their energy density can vary.

NCA battery

NCA batteries use nickel, cobalt and aluminium as the main materials. It is touted as the leading EV battery technology because of its stronger energy density than peers.

LFP battery

LFP batteries are made up of lithium, iron and phosphate. They are free of cobalt and nickel. LFP cells provide a lower range feature materials that are less flammable.

Sodium-ion battery

hile the new batteries in the pipeline have lower energy density than LFP, sodium-ion batteries have advantages in low-temperature performance and charging speed