GM’s Ultium battery will get the ultimatum

GM will discontinue the Ultium battery model title because it appears to broaden the varieties of cells and chemistries it makes use of in its electrical autos.

Throughout an investor occasion at this time, Kurt Kelty, GM’s VP of batteries and a former Tesla government, introduced plans to undertake lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery know-how with the intention to lower the price of its EVs by “as much as $6,000.” GM’s Ultium batteries use the extra frequent nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) batteries.

Some automakers are utilizing LFP-based cells already, together with Tesla and Ford. There’s much less complexity in LFP, they value much less to supply, they usually aren’t depending on the extreme cobalt utilized in NCM batteries. Cobalt has a nasty rep because the “blood diamond of batteries,” and lots of automakers are attempting to keep away from it in the long run.

GM launched its Ultium batteries in 2020 because the platform that may finally underpin the automaker’s slate of EVs, together with the Chevy Equinox and Blazer EVs, the Cadillac Lyriq, the Hummer EV, and accomplice autos like Honda’s Prologue SUV. However “Ultium” by no means fairly grew to become a family title, and now GM is transferring away from the model in addition to its “one measurement matches all” strategy to its battery system.

Kelty says GM will open a battery cell improvement heart in 2027 at its tech heart in Warren, Michigan, to raised compete with Chinese language battery producers, which dominate the worldwide provide chain. He stated that GM is ready to “meet manufacturing demand into 2025” and that battery manufacturing issues confronted on the finish of 2023 “are behind us.”

GM will proceed to work with accomplice LG on batteries in addition to Samsung SDI to construct a brand new $3.5 billion EV battery plant in Indiana.

GM decreased its battery prices to $60 per kilowatt hour on common from 2023 to 2024 and is anticipating one other $30 discount in 2025 with LFP, Kelty stated. The automaker may additionally pack LFP batteries into its massive EV chassis that sometimes homes Ultium NCM pouch-style batteries and nonetheless obtain “over 350 miles” of vary, he famous.

GM can be lowering the variety of modules in its pack by as much as 75 % by utilizing new prismatic cells, whereas higher-end cylindrical cells will probably be relegated to “efficiency” autos, Kelty stated.

Traditionally, GM is understood for having bigger and extra dense EV batteries than its opponents. Now, it’s following within the footsteps of Ford, which insists {that a} 200–300 mile vary is greater than enough for many house owners.