Chemistry & Cell Components

Chemistry & Cell Components

LCO | Technology

LCO | Technology

Pros and Cons of Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) vs. Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) S LCO Strength - Energy density - Higher Voltage capability (up to 4.5) - Power - More Mature Technology than other cathode chemistries - Highest recycle value NMC Strength - Energy density - Low temperature performance - Power - Strong battery supply chain - High recycle value

LCO Weakness

LCO Opportunity

LCO Threat

Lower Thermal Stability temperature

Low discharge current can lead to pack overheat

limited to a C rates due to overheating

shorter life span

Highest cobalt use

Cobalt cost and scarcity

Portable and consumer electronics

Industries that want 10+ years of reliability data

High recycle Value in domestic industry

High Energy NMC811 and NCA for high performance

High-voltage LMNO

Increasing material cost of cobalt

NMC Weakness

Cost

Safety

Ni/Co supply chain

NMC Opportunity

Long range/ high-end EVs

Stationary storage

e-Bus, e-Bicycle, e-Motorcycle

Power tools / performance sensitive applications

Source: LCO Overview, LFP Pros and Cons, LCO vs LFP, LCO Life Cycle, Congo’s Cobalt Controversy,

NMC Threat

LFP

High-voltage LNMO due to cost and thermal stability

Increasing raw material cost

Lithium Cobalt Oxide batteries (LCO) have a relatively high cobalt content, which provides the high energy density and thermal stability for which they are known for. LCO has a relatively high voltage capability. The EV industry has long since shifted away from LCO, due to the cost of cobalt in the past. However, smartphones, laptops, and other portable electronics depend heavily on LCO.

Extracted from the PDF; charts and images may read imperfectly.