Ampere has worked with Renault’s EV platform developers to design a new cell-to-pack battery arrangement to compensate for the inherent reduced efficiency of LFP compared with NMC, so the cost reduction won’t be accompanied by any drop in energy output.
The company will boost that cost reduction to 50% (compared with today) by 2028, with the introduction of a new chemistry that combines a cobalt-free cathode with a silicon anode, which it says gives the energy density of NMC at the cost – and with the safety credentials – of LFP. An added benefit, it said, is that this chemistry allows for much quicker (15-minute) charging times.
Then, within the next decade, Ampere will look to double the energy density of its NMC packs by replacing the silicon anode with a lithium metal alternative – a composition that it refers to as the “building block” for solid state technology, which Renault plans to have in a production car within the next decade.
Alliance partner Nissan notably has confirmed plans to sell a solid-state EV from 2028, but when pressed for details about whether Renault could match that timeline, Ampere’s head of cell chemistry development, Mohamed Taggougui, would only say that the company was “talking to” its Japanese counterparts.
Renault’s engineers highlighted that 25-40% of the cost of a battery pertains to integration costs – by which they mean the casing and the way it’s mounted into the chassis – and halving that cost by 2028 is also key to Ampere’s plans.
Crucial developments here include the adoption of a new cell-to-pack battery design that maximises usable capacity, and work is in progress to adopt a cell-to-chassis arrangement in upcoming EVs, further increasing efficiency.
Cutting carbon footprint
At the heart of Renault’s electrification strategy is a push to dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of both its cars and its global operations.
That ambition is symbolised by the Emblème concept, which is projected to have a total lifecycle (15 years or 200,000km) carbon footprint of just five tonnes, compared with the circa-50 tonnes emitted by a petrol-engined, current-generation Captur.