Lithium iron phosphate (lifepo4) is a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries with an olivine structure (industry term: electrochemical energy storage), with the molecular formula LiFePO₄, a nominal voltage of 3.2V (compared to 3.7V for ternary materials), and an energy density of 150-200Wh/kg (data quantification: mass specific energy). During the charging and discharging process, lithium ions intercalate and deintercalate between channels with a width of 0.5nm (industry term: ion migration), and the charging and discharging efficiency is as high as 95%-98% (90%-93% for ternary batteries). For example, after Tesla’s 2021 Standard Range Model 3 switched to lifepo4 batteries (example reference:) For commercial applications, the range on a single charge is increased by 13% (EPA standard 267 miles →302 miles).
The core advantage of lifepo4 stems from its stable crystal structure (industry term: Materials science). The P-O strong covalent bond in the olivine framework (with a bond energy of 360kJ/mol) causes the thermal runaway temperature to reach as high as 270°C (about 150°C for ternary materials). In the statistics of self-ignition accidents of electric buses in Zhengzhou in 2022 (example citation: The probability of ternary batteries catching fire is 0.48 times per 10,000 vehicles, while that of lifepo4 batteries is zero (data source: China EV 100). Its operating temperature range is from -20°C to 60°C (industry term: environmental adaptability), and it still maintains 70% capacity at a low temperature of -20°C (only 50% for ternary batteries), meeting the demand of the Norwegian electric vehicle market (penetration rate 80%).
In terms of battery life, lifepo4 can achieve 3,000 to 6,000 deep cycles (industry term: cycle durability), and the calendar life when capacity decays to 80% exceeds 12 years (about 8 years for ternary batteries). The actual test data of BYD Blade Battery shows (sample reference: product verification) that after 5,000 cycles, the capacity retention rate is 83.2% (test conditions: 1C charge and discharge, 25°C), and the volume expansion rate is only 3% (6%-10% for ternary materials), significantly reducing the risk of electrode powderization (industry term: structural stability).
The significant cost-effectiveness promotes popularization. In the raw materials of lifepo4, iron phosphate accounts for 60% (with a cost of 8 US dollars /kg), and it does not contain the precious metal cobalt (the cost of cobalt in ternary materials is 50 US dollars /kg), reducing the cost of the battery cell to 97 US dollars /kWh (112 US dollars /kWh for ternary batteries). According to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report (sample citation: market analysis), the global lifepo4 production capacity reached 1.2TWh in 2023 (with a market share of 68%), and Chinese manufacturer CATL’s monthly output exceeded 25GWh (data quantification: manufacturing scale). In the field of energy storage, the California photovoltaic energy storage project in the United States adopts the lifepo4 system (industry term: renewable energy integration), with a cost of $0.08 /kWh per kilowatt-hour ($0.12 /kWh for thermal power), and the payback period is shortened to 5.3 years (industry term: economic model).