Battery tech has been evolving rapidly over the last few years. Just look at how we’re now seeing more energy dense NMC batteries offering over 500 miles of range in more premium EVs. New technologies including semi-solid-state batteries are also entering the electric car market, while sodium batteries and full solid-state batteries still seem a way off wider availability.

But one other development that we’re seeing is a proliferation of LFP batteries among more affordable EVs. Lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery tech has been in widespread use among mainstream EVs around the globe for many years. The MG4, the shorter range Tesla Model 3 and every BYD model are some of the more popular LFP-powered electric cars. 

LFP vs NMC batteries: What you need to know about electric car batteries

Generally, LFP batteries have been popular in shorter range, more affordable cars as this battery chemistry is cheaper to produce and doesn’t use cobalt – which is used to provide energy dense NMC battery cells that allow for long range in a lighter battery pack. 

It’s been noticeable that LFP batteries are now becoming common in lots of affordable EVs, ranging from the Citroen e-C3 and Renault 5 to the Kia EV2, VW ID.Polo and Skoda Epiq.  

It looks like LFP batteries are only going to become more widely used, too, according to comments from Skoda’s head of technical development, Dr. Johannes Neft. 

While at the reveal of the new Skoda Epiq, I asked Neft how he believes battery tech will evolve: “First of all, I think LFP is the chemistry for future, especially for the broader audience. We’ll see more and more LFP chemistry in [electric] cars. We’ll also see more LFP chemistry in the Volkswagen Group, especially when talking about the lower end of the range.” 

However, Neft is also adamant that NMC battery tech – still predominantly favoured for longer range EVs due to its better energy density, which enables more range per kilogram of battery cell – is here to stay. “NMC will always be important," says Neft. "Not just if you want a very long range but also if you want faster recharging. Even so, with new LFP chemistries we can get improvements in charging time and so on. So LFP will really help us in the future.”

And what of other battery chemistries? I asked Neft if LFP and NMC battery tech has improved so much that we won’t even need chemistries like full solid-state batteries, which have long been vaunted as the next big leap in battery tech yet has also remained stubbornly ‘a year or two away’ for much more than a couple of years. "First of all, everybody will try and bring solid state into higher priced cars," explains Neft. "I don’t see that solid state will move into the volume cars very quickly."

Nonetheless, Neft confirmed that Skoda and the Volkswagen Group that it belongs to, “will go ahead with solid state battery development.”

I also went out to Beijing Motor Show earlier this year and had a chance to find out about much of the battery tech that we may see further down the line – ranging from semi-solid-state batteries with over 900 miles of range, to NMC batteries with enough power to be considered for Formula One. 

But with the cars that you can buy today offering more and more LFP batteries with around 200 miles or more of claimed range, while NMC technology has now broken that magic 500 miles of range mark for BMW, Mercedes and Volvo... I do wonder if we need solid-state batteries, or if they will only be preserve of very high-end EVs in the future? 

Does the average motorist need more than 500 miles of range, or are charging speeds now becoming more important than range? Has NMC and LFP chemistry now improved so much that it’s made solid-state batteries redundant? Or maybe the sort of energy dense battery chemistry than can provide over 900 miles of claimed range is best used by reducing the weight of more moderate-range EVs, rather than powering enormous, long range premium EVs? 

Commercial- and heavy-goods electric vehicles could certainly see huge benefits from greater energy density in batteries, even if it comes at the significant purchase cost that's likely to be the downside of solid-state batteries (initially, at least). 

There are still a lot of unanswered questions around the evolution of electric car battery tech, but one thing's for certain - we’re going to see more LFP batteries in Skoda and Volkswagen EVs. As for the rest? Well, as Neft himself says: “At this point, it’s all speculation.”