Page 41 - TTG-Taiwan Transportation Equipment Guide (TTG) 2026-09 Edition
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                                                                                   Industry Technology


            export restrictions in the Democratic Republic of the   the dual-layer architecture can improve overall
            Congo, has further reinforced industry interest in   battery performance while allowing the LMFP
            battery chemistries that reduce reliance on cobalt-  layer to provide additional thermal stability and
            intensive materials. Olivine-structured lithium iron   structural support. The technology has secured
            phosphate batteries (LFP), according to Taiwan’s   patent protection in multiple countries for its
            Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI),   electrode structure engineering, which has been
            quickly gained traction for their cost-effective,   extended as a design strategy for improving battery
            structural, and thermal stability in the global market,   rate and overall stability. For international buyers,
            approaching 50% global market share. While LFP     the significance is beyond cell chemistry. Taiwan’s
            batteries offer stronger thermal stability and safety   expertise in surface coating, materials processing,
            advantages, their lower operating voltage limits   and  advanced  manufacturing  may  provide  an
            energy density to approximately 170 Wh/kg to 190   important foundation for scaling complex battery
            Wh/kg, making them less competitive for extended-  electrode architectures.
            range  EVs.  While  high-nickel  NMC  batteries
            remain vulnerable to raw material fluctuations and    While LMFP batteries continue to attract industry
            geopolitical supply risks, the cost competitiveness   attention for their balance of cost efficiency,
            of LFP batteries has accelerated the approach      thermal safety, and improved energy density over
            to next-generation variants. Positioned between    conventional LFP, the chemistry still faces several
            conventional LFP and NMC platforms, LMFP is        commercialization challenges. Commercialization
            increasingly viewed as a potential middle-ground   challenges continue to include performance
            chemistry that may help reduce reliance on nickel-   consistency, manufacturing scalability, and long-
            and cobalt-intensive materials while improving     term  durability.  These  hurdles  have  slowed
            energy density and thermal stability. LMFP is      large-scale production despite growing global
            therefore increasingly deployed as a next-generation   interest in safer and affordable next-generation
            upgrade. Supported by DynaPack’s battery module    battery platforms. ITRI’s latest developments
            integration and LITEON Technology’s power conversion   focus on improving the commercial practicality
            expertise, the LMFP battery system demonstrates    and manufacturing scalability through advanced
            cross-industry collaboration in the next-generation   electrode engineering and precision surface-
            EV development. LMFP is gaining industry attention   coating processes. By adopting hybrid NMC-
            for its operating voltage of approximately 4.0 V   LMFP architectures and dual-layer slot die coating
            and its ability to improve energy density by 15% to   technologies, ITRI enhances lithium-ion transport
            20% while preserving many of the safety, thermal   efficiency,  thermal  stability,  charge-discharge
            stability, and lifecycle advantages associated with   performance, and overall battery durability with a
            olivine-based battery chemistries.                 scalable manufacturing partnership. In 2023, ITRI
                                                               collaborated with HCM on a government-funded
               While LMFP batteries face challenges related    initiative to support the battery manufacturing pilot
            to electrode stability and manganese-related       line. HCM now has the ability to mass-produce
            degradation, ITRI’s latest developments demonstrate   LMFP batteries and is currently optimizing battery
            progress in improving cycle life, thermal safety,   effi ciency and production stability.
            and overall durability for next-generation mobility
            applications. The LMFP 40 Ah battery developed        As the global battery industry increasingly
            by the ITRI has undergone battery cell testing with   prioritizes safety, manufacturability, and supply
            Chroma ATE, as well as safety assessments including   chain resilience alongside reliable performance,
            nail penetration (SAE J2464) and overcharge (IEC   advanced process engineering and precision
            62660-3) tests. Results showed no fi re or explosion   manufacturing capabilities may become equally
            risk, with working temperatures from 54°C to -30°C,   critical to the commercialization of next-generation
            underscoring its practical thermal performance.    electrification technologies. Battery performance
            The battery is also certified under UN 38.3 for the   is also increasingly interconnected with vehicle
            transportation of goods to ensure safe delivery for   integration, particularly in thermal management,
            overseas shipments. For procurement buyers, LMFP   power efficiency, and operational safety. This is
            batteries are emerging as a solution for high-safety   also driving growing demand for advanced cooling
            applications, such as electric buses, commercial   technologies capable of supporting next-generation
            fleets, and large-scale energy storage systems. In   EV batteries under demanding operating conditions.
            composite applications, the high-density traits of
            LMFP allow it to be blended with NMC. Results have    Electric vehicle platforms are now increasingly
            shown that blending LMFP with NMC optimizes        focused on energy-dense, software-defined, and
            overall battery performance and energy density.    fast charging optimization. Procurement priorities
                                                               meanwhile,  are  also  evolving  beyond  battery
            Dual-Layered LMFP-Rich/NMC Composite Cell          chemistry.  Buyers  are  increasingly  evaluating
                                                               suppliers based on their ability to deliver thermal
               To further improve the performance of           safety, manufacturing scalability, system integration,
            the hybrid NMC and LMFP cathode, ITRI has          and long-term supply-chain resilience.
            adopted a dual-layer slot-die coating design that
            simultaneously creates two distinct material layers   For Taiwan's automotive industry, this transition
            in a single coating cycle. Results show that the   represents  more  than  a  shift  toward  battery
            dual-layer structure (DL  II) with NMC delivered   technologies. It is also creating new opportunities
            the strongest performance. Results indicate that   for suppliers specializing in thermal management,
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