GM says it and battery partner LG Energy Solution have addressed the short life and voltage decay that long held back lithium manganese-rich (LMR) batteries. But “solved” describes GM’s account of its technical progress, not an independently verified result: the cited performance and durability evidence is company-reported, and commercial production has not begun. GM now plans to make LMR prismatic cells at Spring Hill, Tennessee, with production targeted for 2028.
What is an LMR battery?
LMR stands for lithium manganese-rich, a lithium-ion cathode chemistry with more manganese than conventional high-nickel cells. GM’s May 2025 comparison describes a typical high-nickel composition as roughly 85% nickel, 10% manganese and 5% cobalt; its LMR comparison is around 35% nickel and 65% manganese, with virtually no cobalt. GM says manganese is cheaper and more plentiful than nickel or cobalt.
GM says it began researching manganese-rich lithium-ion cells in 2015 and accelerated development in 2020. Its account identifies two historical obstacles: short battery life and voltage decay, also called voltage attenuation over time. Researchers had studied LMR since the 1990s, but those problems made it difficult to turn the chemistry into a practical automotive cell.
What GM says it has fixed
GM and LG Energy Solution say they improved LMR cells through materials and manufacturing-process work. GM describes the use of proprietary dopants and coatings, particle engineering and process innovations intended to stabilize the cells and address degradation.
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GM says its LMR cells can match the lifespan of current-generation high-nickel cells. It also claims 33% greater energy density than LFP at comparable cost, a figure GM reiterated in 2026 as a design aim for its prismatic cells. These are GM claims; the cited material does not provide independent, apples-to-apples validation of lifespan, energy density or cost.
GM’s reported prototype work
GM says that through the end of 2024, its Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center had coated about one ton of LMR cathode and tested hundreds of large-format prismatic cells. The work covered 18 prototype varieties and three dimensions, and GM says the testing was equivalent to 1.4 million miles of EV driving. Those figures describe company-reported development activity, not independent road testing or a public durability study.
How LMR is meant to compare with other EV batteries
GM positions high-nickel cells for vehicles where range is a priority, while presenting LMR as a lower-cost, higher-energy-density alternative to LFP for larger vehicles. Its 33% energy-density comparison is against LFP and is a company claim, not a verified market-wide result. The available sources do not establish a full lifecycle comparison among LMR, LFP and high-nickel cells.
| Comparison | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| High-nickel chemistry | GM’s example is roughly 85% nickel, 10% manganese and 5% cobalt. GM positions it for high-range applications. |
| LMR chemistry | GM’s example is around 35% nickel and 65% manganese, with virtually no cobalt. GM claims 33% greater energy density than LFP at comparable cost. |
| LFP | Used as the reference point for GM’s claimed energy-density and cost comparison; the cited sources do not give a matched LFP composition or independent comparative test result. |
Why GM plans to use prismatic cells
Prismatic cells have a rigid rectangular shape. GM says that format can package efficiently in a large vehicle battery and reduce non-active materials and part count. GM claims its prismatic packaging can use 75% fewer battery-module components and 50% fewer total pack components; those comparisons are GM’s, not independently validated savings.
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Prismatic form also has tradeoffs. LG Energy Solution’s March 2026 offering circular describes general cell-format considerations: prismatic cells can use module and pack space efficiently, but heat control can be more challenging and damage risk can be greater near container corners. These are general observations about the format, not findings from a specific test of GM’s planned LMR cell.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When will GM’s LMR batteries be made?
GM and LG Energy Solution announced in May 2025 that their Ultium Cells joint venture planned U.S. commercial production of LMR prismatic cells by 2028, with pre-production expected at an LG Energy Solution facility by late 2027. The companies named future GM electric trucks and full-size SUVs as intended applications.
GM’s September 29, 2026 update identified Ultium Cells’ Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant as the planned production site. It said construction and facility upgrades would begin later in 2026 and were expected to finish in 2028. The announcement does not establish that commercial production has started or that a GM vehicle with LMR cells is on sale.
LG Energy Solution’s March 2026 offering circular separately describes a December 2024 agreement with GM covering joint development of prismatic cells, including LMR for GM models, with production targeted to begin in 2028. The filing frames intended models as mid-to-low-end EVs, while GM’s announcements emphasize trucks and full-size SUVs; the sources therefore describe the intended vehicle segments differently.
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Is GM really first to market?
Not yet. GM says Ultium Cells is expected to be the first manufacturer globally to commercially produce the technology, but that is a forward-looking ambition, not a completed milestone. In its 2025 technical article, GM battery engineering director Kushal Narayanaswamy wrote: “However, there are no EVs with LMR batteries on the road, and for good reason.” That sentence records the status when published on May 13, 2025; GM’s later factory announcement still describes future production.
GM vice president Kurt Kelty described the intended benefit as “premium range and performance at an affordable cost, especially in electric trucks.” LG Energy Solution executive vice president Wonjoon Suh called the planned product “the first-ever LMR prismatic cells for EVs.” Both statements express company objectives and positioning; neither demonstrates that the cells have reached commercial production or met those goals in vehicles.
What remains unproven
GM’s reported development work is substantial, but the public material cited here is principally company reporting. LG Energy Solution confirms the joint development arrangement and 2028 production target; its filing does not independently verify GM’s performance claims. The sources do not establish independent results for cost, energy density, cycle life, voltage retention or pack-component savings, nor do they show that LMR-equipped GM vehicles have entered production.
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