How Tesla’s Quest for Cheaper Batteries Buoys China: QuickTake

Tesla Inc. and Ford Motor Co. are among automakers that have pivoted to a different type of battery to tackle the biggest obstacle to mass adoption of electric vehicles: high sticker prices. Lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries are cheaper to produce than the power packs used in most EVs made in Europe and the US. Their growing popularity is entrenching China’s dominance of the global battery industry, as they are mostly supplied by Chinese companies.

1. What are LFP batteries?

Electric cars are powered by lithium-ion batteries that are charged and discharged by lithium particles moving between negative and ...