General Motors and LG Energy Solution will begin commercial production of lithium manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic battery cells by 2028.

The lithium-manganese-rich cell, developed with LG Chem, uses far less cobalt and nickel than current lithium-ion cells. It’ll be made in the U.S. and show up in 2028.

GM says the new cells will be cheaper for a few reasons. For one, manganese is cheaper than cobalt or nickel. The LMR chemistry will have 0-2% cobalt, 30-40% nickel, and 60-70% manganese. That’s significantly less than today’s leading NMC cells, which are up to 10% cobalt and 80% nickel.

In a surprising dual strike at China’s grip on the global electric vehicle battery industry, General Motors and Ford have both unveiled manganese-led batteries that could shoulder aside incumbent chemistries dominated by China’s behemoths.