GM ditches the name ‘Ultium’ for EV batteries and more
‘Ultium‘ was to become a jack-of-all-trades for General Motors’ electric vehicles and, thanks to its flexibility, could be used in any electric car. However, four years later, GM wants to diversify its batteries. “We’re moving from a single-source, single-form factor, single-chemistry to a multi-chemistry, multi-form factor, multi-supplier strategy,” said Kurt Kelty, VGM’s vice president of battery. “What we’re going to do going forward is really optimise for each vehicle.”
GM introduced the term ‘Ultium’ in 2020. It is a modular battery system in which the large-format pouch cells can be arranged vertically or horizontally in the battery pack, enabling ranges of up to 400 miles (644 kilometres). The US carmaker has already transitioned from its original Ultium battery cells, co-manufactured with LGES using nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry, to other battery types and chemistries. The automaker is in talks with Japan’s TDK Corp to produce LFP batteries in the US using technology licensed from CATL.
Meanwhile, General Motors confirmed at an investor meeting that the company is on track to produce and distribute about 200,000 electric cars for North America this year and reach profitability on a production or contribution margin basis by the end of this year. The electric portfolio currently includes affordable long-range models such as the Chevrolet Equinox EV, luxury electric vehicles such as the Cadillac Lyriq and high-performance electric vehicles such as the GMC Hummer EV, Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. The Cadillac Vistiq and Optiq should also hit the road in the coming months. The return of the Chevy Bolt is planned for the end of 2025.
Most GM electric cars in North America now have a range of more than 300 miles (483 kilometres), and GM wants to increase the range further, such as with the new Silverado EV RST, which has a range of almost 500 miles.
General Motors also announced that it will begin constructing a battery cell development centre at the company’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, to further its electric car plans. The company did not give a groundbreaking date, but said the centre will be a new building where battery cell construction is expected to begin in early 2027.
0 Comments