The short answer: it wouldn’t qualify for federal tax credits.
And the battery pack that powers a qualifying vehicle can’t use components or critical minerals that come from a “foreign entity of concern,” which is government-speak for adversaries like China. The rules, passed during the Biden administration, aim to spur more domestic EV and battery manufacturing, while also making the car industry less reliant on China.
Nickel and Cobalt is expensive, and more expensive if buyers (EV manufacturers) are forced to source it from North America. Most of both comes from Canada, so tariffs will matter.
Another reason Slate went with NMC was its superior energy density. LFP packs are durable, known for their fast-charging abilities and use cheaper raw materials. But an NMC pack that takes up the same amount of space will generally deliver more range.
Aside from energy density, what other pros/cons do NMC batteries have? Also how much more energy can they store per unit volume than LFP?
It’s not good to regularly charge NMC batteries to 100%, or leave them discharged for an extended period of time. For long-term batttery health, it’s best to operate them between 20% and 80%, making the higher energy density less avantageous than at first sight.
I wouldn’t really call it less advantageous than it might seem. LFP are more convenient for sure as you don’t need to think about it as much, assuming the battery provides adequate range.
For NMC if you’re going to do a trip that needs the whole battery you can charge it to full and not worry about it. Same for driving down close to 0 before charging if the road trip calls for it. You just don’t do this all the time, you only do it if you need it.
The vast majority of people are not driving their vehicles from full to empty every day.
Is that not true for LFP?
The LFP curve is very flat- you have to charge to 100% once a month to keep it calibrated. Of course it will be fine without, but your range estimate will be even less accurate than normal.
I will be surprised if this ever comes out.
