UK battery technology company Integrals Power has been chosen to supply its patented, manganese-rich Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) cathode material to OLiMPUS, a €9 million Horizon Europe project focused on developing and industrialising safe, cost-effective, and sustainable LMFP battery cells using a fully European supply chain.
The goal is to pave the way for mass production of LMFP cells in Europe by around 2032, with electric vehicles and maritime applications as the primary targets.
OLiMPUS is coordinated by Norwegian research organisation SINTEF and brings together 16 partners from across the battery value chain, including Volvo Trucks, Magna Steyr, cell maker Verkor, synthetic graphite anode supplier Vianode, and maritime energy storage specialist Corvus Energy.
Integrals Power will supply more than 150 kg of LMFP cathode active material and play a key role in scaling and industrialising the manufacturing process, as well as supporting cell prototyping and performance validation.
Running until 2030, the project will produce more than 130 automotive-grade cells on SINTEF’s pilot lines and Verkor’s gigafactory facilities, in both pouch and prismatic formats, with capacities ranging from 10 Ah to 80 Ah and a target energy density of up to 220 Wh/kg.
Sustainability is built into the process as water replaces toxic and highly flammable NMP as the solvent, a semi-dry electrode coating method cuts energy use in the drying stage compared with traditional wet slurry processes, and synthetic graphite at the anode further lowers the overall carbon footprint. Versus a benchmark NMC811 chemistry, OLiMPUS expects to cut lifecycle CO2-equivalent emissions by about 1.8 million tonnes by 2050.
Integrals Power’s LMFP chemistry uses a high manganese content of around 80%, delivering up to 20% higher energy density than conventional LFP while keeping its core strengths of low cost, safety, and long cycle life. By avoiding expensive nickel and cobalt, LMFP offers a compelling alternative to NMC, which still dominates EV cell chemistry among European and North American manufacturers.
The project forecasts cell-level costs of €56–65/kWh and pack?level costs of €67–75/kWh. These figures compare well with leading Chinese LFP pack costs of about €64/kWh and NMC pack costs of roughly €82/kWh. Given China’s dominant position in global battery production for both LFP and NMC, establishing LMFP manufacturing in Europe offers industries a realistic, high-performance alternative that remains price-competitive.
OLiMPUS targets a broad set of applications, including EVs, shipping, and other sectors. Maritime in particular faces strong pressure to decarbonise as most vessels still run on fossil fuels, and the sector accounts for a significant share of global oil consumption.
Battery-electric propulsion suits many ship types, and LMFP’s cost, safety, and durability profile make it an excellent fit. Maritime and automotive are core markets for Integrals Power’s LMFP and LFP materials, alongside defence and grid-scale energy storage.
Leadership Comment
Integrals Power Founder and CEO, Behnam Hormozi, said: “Our participation in OLiMPUS is the clearest demonstration yet that Integrals Power’s patented LMFP technology is a key enabler for establishing sovereign battery capability in the UK and Europe. Third-party testing has already proven its high energy density, cycle life, and cold weather performance, and this project represents the next milestone in its development as we optimise the materials and processes for scale-up.
“A successful transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources can only be achieved with a robust, transparent, sustainable, and cost-effective battery supply chain, and that requires alternatives to cell chemistries and manufacturing reliant on critical minerals and Chinese technology. The OLiMPUS project is laying the foundations for this, and we are extremely proud to be a part of it.”
1 McKinsey, ‘The Future of Affordable EVs: Breakthroughs in Battery Pack Costs’
2 IEA, ‘How the shipping sector could save on energy costs’
