Buick's Electra GS filing shows LFP batteries spreading beyond budget EVs

Buick puts LFP in a plug-in hybrid sedan

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the batch on Tuesday, with comments open from 4 to 10 November. The Electra GS is a plug-in hybrid sedan, not a cheap city car.

That matters beyond one model. LFP uses iron and phosphate instead of nickel, manganese and cobalt, so the packs cost less to build. Buyers could get lower prices and packs that tolerate frequent 100 percent charging, but they may give up range or payload for the same space. Buick has not said how much battery capacity the Electra GS carries or how far it goes on electricity. The filings list two cell suppliers. One variant uses cells from Rept Battero Energy, while the other two use cells from Zenergy, and a SAIC-GM subsidiary builds the packs.

All three variants share a 165 kW electric motor. Their engines displace 1,498 millilitres, with rated outputs of 72 kW for two variants and 115 kW for the third.

The sedan measures 4,979 mm long and 1,914 mm wide, on a 2,865 mm wheelbase. Filing images show a fastback profile, slim headlights, a full-width taillight and semi-hidden door handles. Buyers can pick a version without roof-mounted LiDAR, plus rear spoilers, brake calipers and exterior trim options. The filing lands as Buick keeps reworking its new energy lineup in China. It launched an updated Electra E7 plug-in hybrid SUV on 23 September, five months after that model launched.

Why LFP is spreading

Slate's electric truck shows the switch in detail. Slate unveiled the pickup in April 2025 with a 52.7 kWh NMC pack from SK On and an estimated 150 miles of range. A pricier version was to get an 84.3 kWh pack for about 240 miles. Slate dropped that plan for a single 65 kWh LFP pack from Gotion, built in Manteno, Illinois. The plant sits about 90 miles from Slate's factory in Warsaw, Indiana, against 710 miles for the originally planned SK On supply from Commerce, Georgia. The new cells are box-shaped prisms that stack directly into the pack, which makes better use of the space under the truck than the old module setup.

The pack lifts projected range to 205 miles. That is above the old 150-mile base and below the cancelled 240-mile version.

Small vehicles too

The chemistry is not confined to trucks. Eli Electric Vehicles is unveiling the Eli ZERO MX at EICMA in Milan with a 14.4 kWh LFP battery and a claimed range of up to 200 km per charge.

The MX moves from the L6e quadricycle class to L7e, lifting peak power to 20 kW from 12 kW and top speed to 80 km/h from 45 km/h. It keeps the original's 2.25-metre length and adds a 3.3 kW onboard charger, air conditioning and an 8.8-inch instrument cluster. A limited Race Edition also carries a hidden Turbo mode triggered by holding the hazard light button. ReBake, the Swedish startup founded by former CAKE staff, showed the Abler at the same show. Both versions run on removable 2 kWh LFP packs weighing 17 kg each, and the Abler80 carries two for 4 kWh in total. Its 42 mm aluminium tube frame doubles as a mounting system for cargo accessories.

ReBake claims up to 160 km of low-speed urban range for the Abler45 with both packs. It claims 114 km for the Abler80, and each battery charges from a 230V outlet in four hours. Prices are €3,990 including VAT for the Abler45 and €4,990 for the Abler80.

The trade-offs and unknowns

LFP stores less energy for a given size and weight than NMC. That is why Slate dropped its 240-mile extended-range version: the 65 kWh pack fills the space under the truck. Output fell too, from the originally announced 201 horsepower to 181, though Slate still claims an 8-second run to 60 mph. Range claims deserve scrutiny. Slate says its 205 miles is an estimate based on an EPA test cycle, not a finalized EPA rating. Buick has published no capacity or range figure for the Electra GS at all.

Price is the other open question. Slate holds its advertised starting price at $24,950 plus a $1,450 destination fee, after the federal clean-vehicle credit ended for vehicles acquired after 30 September 2025.

What happens next

Public comment on the 413th filing batch closes on 10 November. After that, Buick still has to say when the Electra GS goes on sale and what it will cost.

Slate has not published a final EPA range rating for the LFP truck. Eli's ZERO MX and ReBake's Abler are both on display at EICMA, which runs from 3 to 8 November in Milan.