China Tightens Grip on Next-Gen LMFP Battery Tech as Global Race Heats Up

Global Battery Breakthrough: Taiwan’s HCM Materials has partnered with French energy giant TotalEnergies’ subsidiary Saft and Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to co-develop next-generation lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) battery technology. The collaboration, formalized on July 3, positions HCM as the exclusive core material supplier—a critical step for Taiwan’s battery materials in penetrating high-end international markets spanning aerospace, medical devices, and IoT.

1. Technology Leap: From Labs to Mass Production

LMFP, an upgrade to lithium iron phosphate (LFP), infuses manganese to elevate voltage platforms from 3.4V to 4.1V, boosting energy density by 15%-20%.     This bridges the gap between LFP’s safety and ternary batteries’ energy capacity.     Recent innovations tackle its historical weaknesses:

Conductivity Fix: Tianneng Technology embedded carbon nanotubes directly into LMFP, enhancing electron conductivity 10,000-fold and enabling 5C fast charging.

Precision Engineering: Advanced spray dryers (e.g., Longxin) now regulate particle size to sub-nanometer precision, pushing compaction density to 2.58 g/cm³—critical for high-volume energy storage.

2. Industrial Surge: Gigafactories Take Root

China dominates LMFP scaling, with massive projects underway:

Shidai Ruixiang: Launched a 100,000-ton annual LMFP facility in Gansu, with Phase I (20,000 tons) operational since April 2025. The plant uses intelligent automation to slash costs by 30%.

Tianneng JinCheng: Investing $423 million for 100,000 tons of LMFP capacity, leveraging mineral partnerships for supply-chain control.

Hunan Yuneng and Rongbai Tech aim for 440,000+ combined tons by 2030.

3. Policy Power Play: China’s Export Clampdown

On July 15, 2025, China added LMFP production technology to its Restricted and Prohibited Export Technology List, imposing strict thresholds:

Compaction density ≥2.38 g/cm³

Voltage ≥3.85V

Capacity retention ≥95% at 2C discharge rates9.

This move shields China’s lead—exemplified by CATL’s M3P batteries in Tesla’s Model Y—and pressures overseas ventures like Gotion High-Tech’s U.S. plant to seek export permits.

4. Application Frontiers: EVs to Electric Aircraft

Electric Vehicles: Gotion’s "Qichen II" LMFP cells achieve 240 Wh/kg energy density, 10-minute ultra-fast charging, and 850 km range. Hybrid LMFP-NMC packs (e.g., in *Chery-Huawei’s Luxeed S7*) blend high energy with safety.

Aerospace: Saft selected LMFP for hybrid-electric aircraft batteries under a deal with Safran at the 2025 Paris Air Show, prioritizing thermal safety.

Energy Storage: LMFP-based systems could lower storage costs to $0.027/kWh, enabling 25-year grid-scale projects.

5. Global Solid-State Synergy

LMFP is becoming a cornerstone for solid-state batteries:

Gotion paired it with sulfide electrolytes for a 300 Wh/kg solid-state prototype entering road tests.

South Korea’s Hanyang University demonstrated LMFP/solid-state cathodes surpassing 300 Wh/kg, targeting 1,000+ km EV range.

The Road Ahead

With China controlling 85%+ of LMFP patents and output, its export restrictions signal a new phase in the battery wars. As Saft’s aerospace push and Gotion’s gigafactories prove, LMFP is no longer an alternative—it’s the nucleus of a safer, denser energy future. Yet the technology’s global reach now hinges on geopolitics as much as innovation.