- GM is about to ditch the Ultium model identify amid a broad shift in battery technique, an govt instructed Bloomberg.
- GM will proceed utilizing underlying batteries and expertise platforms, but additionally incorporate LFP and nickel-rich prismatic cells.
- A brand new Battery Cell Improvement Middle goals to speed up R&D.
When Basic Motors launched the Ultium electrical car platform and battery system 4 years in the past, it stated that this plan—one frequent structure and household of modular batteries for all future fashions—would underpin hundreds of thousands of EVs for years to come back. It could additionally, in concept, imply GM might make sufficient batteries at scale for EVs to turn into extremely worthwhile.
However really scaling up has been a nightmare. Now, GM desires to kill the Ultium model identify, whereas holding the underlying tech, and alter its method in direction of batteries.
That element comes from an interview with former Tesla govt and GM’s present battery chief Kurt Kelty in Bloomberg. And in addition to abandoning a reputation that hasn’t actually caught on, Kelty stated these strikes imply massive modifications for GM’s battery sport.
At the moment, GM’s principal battery associate is LG Power Answer. Now, Kelty stated the automaker plans to include completely different battery chemistries and ranging cell shapes to tailor them to explicit fashions. GM’s present Ultium packs energy a dozen fashions, from the $35,000 Chevy Equinox EV to the $100,000 GMC Hummer EV, simply in several sizes.
That is prone to change for future fashions.
In response to Kelty, there is a “important” change coming to GM’s battery plans that shall be revealed on the Investor Day Presentation later right this moment. Meaning ditching the one-type-fits-all philosophy and tailoring battery packs to particular person fashions, one thing Tesla and BYD have been doing for years. That will embody utilizing the present pouch cells for some fashions, however presumably utilizing the easier-to-assemble prismatic cells for others.
GM EVs presently are geared up with nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum cells made by the three way partnership with LGES. Now it plans to diversify. The automaker is in talks with Japan’s TDK Corp to provide lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries within the U.S. utilizing tech licensed from CATL.
The next-gen Chey Bolt EV will trip on the Ultium platform, however it’s going to use LFP batteries, as has been introduced beforehand. (Though initially, it could not use U.S.-made packs.)
Ultium Cells LLC Battery Plant in Warren, Ohio
LFP batteries are cheaper to provide than nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cells, boast higher thermal efficiency and last more. However they’re much less power dense and therefore extra appropriate for entry stage fashions, just like the rear-wheel drive Tesla Mannequin 3 and the Commonplace Vary Ford Mustang Mach-E.
To speed up these plans, GM will conduct battery R&D on the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Middle at GM’s campus in Warren, Michigan and on the new Battery Cell Improvement Middle that shall be formally introduced on Tuesday. The latter is predicted to be up and working by 2027 and collectively the 2 amenities will be capable to develop new packs and get them prepared for manufacturing in 18 months.
GM can be constructing a brand new $3.5 billion battery plant in Indiana in partnership with Samsung SDI to develop nickel-rich prismatic cells.
Kelty stated all of that is meant to “considerably” scale back battery weight, drive down prices and make manufacturing much less advanced. GM final 12 months stated was abandoning its purpose of promoting 400,000 EVs by mid-2024. Its EV gross sales have been nowhere near that, however they’re enhancing steadily. And this revised battery technique would possibly assist it unlock a brand new section of mass manufacturing whereas doubtlessly enhancing the vary and charging speeds of its EVs.
For all these challenges, together with software program points and shifting gross sales goalposts a number of occasions, GM is doing comparatively nicely in electrical gross sales. It simply posted one more consecutive quarter of EV deliveries and should shut the 12 months as America’s no. 2 electrical automaker behind Tesla.
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