At a time when new energy technologies are developing rapidly, ternary lithium-ion batteries and lithium iron phosphate batteries, as two major mainstream technology routes, have shined in different fields with their own unique advantages.
Energy density ceiling
Ternary lithium batteries use nickel-cobalt-manganese or nickel-cobalt-aluminum composite positive electrode materials. Their atomic layered structure can efficiently store lithium ions, and the energy density generally reaches 200-300Wh/kg, far exceeding lithium iron phosphate batteries. This feature allows electric vehicles to increase their range by 20%-30% at the same weight. Tesla Model 3 Long Range Edition achieves an ultra-long range of more than 600 kilometers with ternary lithium batteries.
Leader in fast charging technology
Thanks to lower internal resistance and faster lithium ion migration speed, ternary lithium batteries support 4C or even 6C high-rate charging. Taking NIO's "battery swap + supercharging" system as an example, some models can achieve 300 kilometers of range after charging for 10 minutes, greatly alleviating users' mileage anxiety.
Endurance of cycle life
Although the cycle life of early ternary lithium batteries was about 800-1200 times, with the technological breakthroughs of single crystal cathode materials and solid electrolyte interfaces, manufacturers such as CATL have developed new ternary batteries that can maintain 80% of their capacity after 2000 cycles, meeting the needs of high-intensity use scenarios such as online car-hailing.
Core competitiveness of lithium iron phosphate batteries
Absolute barrier to safety
The olivine crystal structure of lithium iron phosphate is extremely stable at high temperatures, and its thermal runaway temperature is as high as 500℃ (about 200℃ for ternary materials). The characteristics of no fire or explosion in the needle puncture test make it the first choice for technical routes such as BYD's "blade battery". Shenzhen's electric bus system fully adopts lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the record of zero spontaneous combustion accidents in ten years of operation is the best proof.
Economical efficiency of the entire life cycle
Because it does not contain expensive cobalt metal, the material cost of lithium iron phosphate batteries is more than 30% lower than that of ternary batteries. Combined with its ultra-long cycle life of 3000-5000 times (such as the "Long-life LFP battery" released by CATL), the overall cost advantage is more significant in scenarios such as energy storage power stations and communication base stations that require more than ten years of service.
Practitioner of the Green Revolution
The production process of lithium iron phosphate batteries does not require controversial metals such as cobalt and nickel, and LFP materials are non-toxic and biodegradable. In 2023, the new EU battery law requires mandatory carbon footprint tracing of power batteries. The lithium iron phosphate route is becoming a new favorite of European car companies due to its low-carbon characteristics. Brands such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen have planned a number of LFP battery models.
The golden rule of technology selection
The choice of mobile vehicles
Luxury electric vehicles that pursue extreme endurance (such as Porsche Taycan) mostly use ternary lithium batteries, while household models that emphasize safety and cost-effectiveness (such as BYD Dolphin) tend to use lithium iron phosphate. Hybrid models often use "ternary + lithium iron" hybrid battery packs, taking into account low-temperature performance and safety redundancy.
The balance of energy storage systems
Grid-level energy storage projects are almost monopolized by lithium iron phosphate, whose daily charging and discharging conditions can maximize the cycle life advantage. However, home energy storage systems are differentiated: Tesla Powerwall III provides two battery versions at the same time, the ternary version is suitable for cold regions, and the iron lithium version is mainly for the tropical market.
