General Motors announced the next generation Batteries, the Ultium batteries which could revolutionize the EV industry. The company also announced the Flexible Global Platform to go along with new batteries.
GM and its subsidiaries are looking to the leaders in the electric vehicles, they might just do it with the introduction of the Ultium batteries. The new batteries offer more packaging flexibility, larger capacity and are more cost-effective to mass-produce. GM President Mark Reuss in an official release said, “Thousands of GM scientists, engineers and designers are working to execute a historic reinvention of the company. They are on the cusp of delivering a profitable EV business that can satisfy millions of customers.”
The Technical Aspect Debunked!
- The majority of conventional batteries are made with nickel, cobalt, and magnesium (NCM). The Ultium batteries add aluminum and reduce the cobalt content by 70 percent. GM hopes that the new chemical architecture will drive the battery cell cost below the $100/kWh.
- The new batteries are unique to the industry because the large-format, pouch-style cells can be stacked vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack. This allows the engineers to optimize battery energy storage and layout for each vehicle design.
- These batteries will offer power ranging from 50 to 200 kWh and GM hopes to deliver 400 miles or more in any drive layout on a full charge.
- The new batteries are designed for level 2 and DC fast charging. Most will have 400volt battery packs and up to 200kW fast charging while the truck platform will have 800volt battery packs and 350kW fast charging.
The Ultium batteries are developed with LG Chem, and GM is expecting to release cars that use the new batteries and new platforms at the end of this year. The new platform, the Flexible Global Platform is designed to be used in their EV’s. GM hopes the new flexible, modular approach to EV development will drive the cost down, increase the scale of production and provide new opportunities including:
- Flexibility: The new platform is flexible enough to build a wide range of trucks, SUVs, crossovers, cars and commercial vehicles with outstanding design, performance, packaging, range, and affordability.
- Complexity Reduction: The vehicle and propulsion systems were designed together to minimize complexity and part counts beyond today’s EVs, which are less complex than conventional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines.
- New Sources of Revenue: By vertically integrating the manufacture of battery cells, the company can reach beyond its own fleet and license the technology to others.
In a press release Mary Barra, GM chairman, and CEO said, “Our team accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future. What we have done is build a multi-brand, multi-segment EV strategy with economies of scale that rival our full-size truck business with much less complexity and even more flexibility.”
GM is banking on the rising demand for EV’s which is expected to double from 2025 to 2030 to about 3 million units. Brands under GM will be launching EVs based on the new batteries and platform starting this year. The Ultium batteries promise to be the future of EVs boasting more battery capacity and performance than what Tesla offers today.
