GM’s new EV battery cells promise more affordable, long-range electric trucks and SUVs

The 2025 Chevy Silverado EV already offers up to 492 miles of range, but GM promises to unlock even more at a lower cost. GM and LG Energy Solution unveiled the “first-ever” lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic EV battery cells. The new battery cells will be used in upcoming GM EV models, especially trucks and SUVs.

GM will use LMR EV battery cells to power new EVs

In what it calls a battery tech “breakthrough,” GM aims to be the first automaker to use LMR batteries in electric vehicles.

GM and LG unveiled their new LMR prismatic battery cell, which claims to unlock 33% higher energy density than “the best performing” lithium iron phosphate (LFP) based cells at a comparable cost.

Currently, there are no EVs on the road with LMR batteries. GM believes it’s “for a good reason” due to technical barriers like short battery life and voltage decay. The automaker believes it has finally found a solution.

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The new battery cells clear the way for “a leap forward that will offer consumers EVs with an attractive combination of long range and low cost,” GM said in a statement. It already has the longest-range electric truck, the 2025 Chevy Silverado EV WT, with an EPA-estimated range of up to 492 miles.

GM will use the new battery cells in future electric trucks and full-size SUVs. By integrating the new battery cells, the company aims to offer over 400 miles of range, but with “significant battery cost savings” compared to its current high-nickel pack.

“We’re pioneering manganese-rich battery technology to unlock premium range and performance at an affordable cost, especially in electric trucks,” said Kurt Kelty, GM’s VP of battery, propulsion, and sustainability.

Due to its more efficient design, the new tech is ideal for bigger EV trucks and SUVs. With a rectangular shape, prismatic cells are “substantially more efficient to package in full-scale trucks and SUVs” than the current pouch cells.

GM has been researching battery cells with manganese-rich cathodes since 2015. By the end of 2024, it had tested hundreds of large-format prismatic cells, or the equivalent of 1.4 million miles of EV driving.

The company said the bottom line is that “LMR is going to make it possible for GM to offer EVs with premium range at considerably lower cost.”

Ultium Cells, GM’s joint venture with LG, plans to begin commercial production of LMR prismatic cells in the US in 2028

The announcement comes just two weeks after crosstown rival Ford announced it’s working on “breakthrough” LMR batteries to provide affordable electric vehicles for everyone.