What Is The Difference Between Cathode Material LiFePO4 and NMC NCA

As we know the cathode materials price is 50% of total bettery cost, choose a right and suitable cathode material is quite important for battery production factory. LiFePO4 and NMC is two popular battery material in commercial use.

Here we are introducing the main advantages and disadvantages between LiFePO4 and NMC or NCA battery cathode materials.

1. Battery Cell Capacity

-LiFePO4(LFP): ~180 Wh/Kg

-Ternary Li material (NMC, NCA): >250 Wh/Kg 

This means that the same weight of batteries, the NMC/NCA batteries is about 30% capacity more than LFP batteries.

2. Low Temperature Discharge Performance

- 0 Degree Celsius: The LFP battery is about 58% battery life of NMC 622 batteries.

- The temperature dropped to minus ten degrees centigrade: The LFP battery life is about 30% of NMC 622 batteries.

3. LFP Battery Cost Advantages

- The LFP battery cost is about 20% lower than NMC batteries.

- One 70 KWh battery pack, LPF battery cost can save 3000USD compare with NMC batteries.

- Ternary material will use cobalt: high cost, large price fluctuation, issue of human rights.

4. Battery Cycle Life

- LFP battery cell: 9000 times

- NMC battery cell: 2500 times

5. Thermal Safety

See here, which one do you prefer between lithium iron phosphate and ternary lithium battery? Is it difficult to make a choice? At present, it is difficult to make breakthroughs in materials to obtain higher performance batteries. So we changed the direction and started from the structure, such as making the battery bigger, full-tab battery, etc.