Chemistry
LFP (lithium iron phosphate)
A lithium-ion cathode chemistry using iron phosphate, trading energy density for thermal stability and long cycle life.
What it changes in practice
LFP cells have a nominal voltage near 3.2 V against roughly 3.6 V for NMC and NCA, and lower energy density by both volume and mass. What they buy is a much flatter and safer thermal behaviour and cycle counts that suit stationary storage. This is why LFP dominates residential and commercial energy storage while nickel-rich chemistries dominate traction and portable power, where volume and weight bind.
Why it matters when you specify a cell
LFP runs at about 3.2 V nominal, so a 48 V pack needs roughly 15 cells in series rather than 13 — a different BMS channel count and charger target, not a drop-in swap. Its flat voltage curve makes voltage-based state-of-charge estimation unreliable in the middle of the range; plan on coulomb counting instead.
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Other terms in this group
What the cell is made of, and what that costs or buys you.
NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide)
A lithium-ion cathode chemistry using nickel, manganese and cobalt, dominant in cylindrical power cells and in most traction packs.
Read the entry →NCA (lithium nickel cobalt aluminium oxide)
A nickel-rich cathode chemistry using aluminium as the stabilising element, associated with high energy density in cylindrical cells.
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