Geely's 1,100 kW Battery Demo, GM's Cheaper LMR Cells: EV Battery Briefing

On 30 September, InsideEVs reported that Geely Auto Group's new Ultra Short Blade Battery can peak at nearly 1,100 kilowatts, and the automaker demoed a Lynk & Co 10 charging from 10% to 97% in 8 minutes and 40 seconds. That is a different league from the fastest US EVs. InsideEVs notes the Lucid Gravity and Porsche Cayenne Electric peak at 400 kW, the upcoming Mercedes-AMG GT at 600 kW, and most mass-market US models average around 30 minutes for a 10-80% charge.

Geely's own numbers on heat are the interesting part. The company says megawatt speeds generated about 60% of the heat in the battery, roughly 35% came from electrochemical reactions, and the rest from what it called entropic heat. Its warranty moved from eight years and 150,000 km to eight years and 200,000 km, per InsideEVs.

GM's move runs the other direction: cheaper cells, not faster ones.

CleanTechnica reported on 29 September that the Ultium Cells plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee will be upgraded to produce LMR (lithium manganese-rich) cells, with GM taking the output for forthcoming EVs. The story cites GM's statement that combined LFP and LMR investments will reach $2 billion by 2030. GM's VP of battery and sustainability, Kurt Kelty, said high-nickel batteries still address markets where long range is the priority, while LMR targets affordability.

Both stories sit against a market that is growing, but not evenly. BloombergNEF reported on 30 September that global sales of medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks hit a record 158,000 units in the first half of 2026, up 75% year on year, with more than nine in ten sold in China and electric trucks at about 20% of total truck sales. Europe's share was 5.5%, BNEF says, and the US market has slowed to a near standstill. Norway and Switzerland post even higher sales shares than China.

The US picture is softer on the car side too. CleanTechnica's 30 September piece puts US battery-electric share at 5.9% in the first half of 2026, against 45% in China in August and 26% in Europe in July.

Chemistry is where the cost fight is being fought. The BBC reported on 29 September on San Diego-based Unigrid, which sells a 9 kWh sodium-ion home battery and has shipped its first 100 units, with a target of 1,000 by year end. CEO Darren Tan told the BBC the cells currently come from China. Prof Dame Clare Grey of Cambridge warned that chromium-3 in the cathode can form toxic chromium-6 under certain conditions; Ivana Hasa of Warwick said this can be mitigated by voltage control, and Tan called the concern overblown.

Not every launch is about price. JLR's Range Rover Sport Electric uses the same 118.5 kWh, 800-volt pack as the Range Rover Electric. WIRED reported on 29 September a WLTP figure of 374 miles, 10 to 80% in 22 minutes, and a UK price from £109,810, with no US pricing yet. InsideEVs put WLTP range at 378 miles and charging at up to 350 kW, and reported the model is not coming to the US as a 2027 model. The two outlets disagree on the range figure, so treat 374 to 378 miles as the published spread.

BMW went the other way on 30 September, per InsideEVs: the new i3 40 xDrive drops to an 82.8 kWh pack and 300 kW charging, still good for a WLTP-estimated 441 miles and 209 miles added in 10 minutes, at €59,900 in Germany.

Toyota's electric Hilux, meanwhile, has a 59.2 kWh battery and a 160-mile WLTP range, Electrek reported on 30 September, alongside a 1,675 lb caravan drop test at Bentwaters airfield. Electrek's own note: 59.2 kWh is not much for a truck, which is why it is not sold in the US.