Jakarta –
Tesla and several Chinese electric car manufacturers have now switched to LFP or lithium ferro-phosphate batteries. LFP type batteries are said to be safer than nickel or nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries. Even so, Hyundai still chooses to use NMC type batteries.
As stated by the President Director of Hyundai Motors Indonesia (HMID), Woojune Cha, Hyundai Global has chosen to use nickel batteries as a power source for its electric car products. Nickel batteries were chosen because they have several advantages.
“So as a group, Hyundai Motor Company focuses on developing NMC batteries. Because the quality of NMC batteries is better and the mileage is better. So, for the future or for the Indonesian market, NMC batteries are the main choice,” said Cha at a media gathering in Jakarta (6/2/2024).
It is known that currently electric car manufacturers in the world have started to switch to LFP type batteries, including Tesla, Chery, BYD, and Wuling. According to the Forbes page, LFP type batteries are predicted to be the batteries for future electric vehicles. Because this type of battery is considered safer from heat.
According to Forbes, the nickel-cobalt mixture contains oxygen which is released when the battery cells experience an internal short circuit and heat up. It is known that fire is created because of the fire triangle, namely a source of ignition, fuel and oxygen.
Extinguishing an NMC type battery fire is a bit difficult, because the battery produces its own oxygen. Meanwhile, LFP batteries do not contain O2 so even though they can emit a certain amount of gas when a short circuit occurs, they will not burn like nickel batteries. This makes it much safer and more durable.
However, that doesn’t mean LFP batteries don’t have drawbacks. As revealed by the Special Staff of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources for the Acceleration of Industrial Development in the Energy and Mineral Resources Sector, Agus Tjahjana, LFP has a disadvantage in terms of lower energy density compared to NMC.
“That LFP has disadvantages compared to NMC. The energy density is lower. If on a scale of 10 the energy density is nickel, the LFP density is 5,” he said at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jakarta (26/1/2024), quoted from detikFinance.
Agus explained, if an electric vehicle using a nickel battery weighs around 10-11 kg, then if it uses an LFP battery, the weight can be up to 17 kg.
“Because the density is smaller, you need bigger items. If you use an expensive car, the weight of the battery is the same, so it’s not suitable. If it’s an expensive item, just use an expensive battery, a light one can have a long distance,” he said.
He said LFP would be good for large vehicles such as trucks and buses. Because the vehicle is not dependent on weight. Apart from that, LFP is also suitable for cheap or low end electric cars.
Watch the video “Hyundai Stargazer
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2024-02-09 11:43:54
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