At a dedicated event today, GM unveiled a new EV platform and a new Ultium battery system. The heart of GM's strategy is a modular propulsion system and a highly flexible, third-generation global EV platform powered by proprietary Ultium batteries. GM's new Ultium batteries are unique in the industry because the large-format, pouch-style cells can be stacked vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack. This allows engineers to optimize battery energy storage and layout for each vehicle design. They offer capacity from 50 to 200 kWh for a range of up to 400 miles. Most will be 400V systems. In addition, the GM-designed electric motors will propel front-, rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations. GM is confident that its first generation of the future EV program will be profitable. GM's joint venture with LG Chem to develop and mass produce battery cells will drive cell costs below $100 per kWh. Ongoing technological and manufacturing breakthroughs will drive costs even lower."Our team accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future," said Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO. "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.""Thousands of GM scientists, engineers and designers are working to execute n historic reinvention of the company," said GM President Mark Reuss. "They are on the cusp of delivering a profitable EV business that can satisfy millions of customers."

GM introduced a whole family of interchangeable drive units and motors for its future EVs General Motors has introduced a whole family of five drive units and three motors for its future EVs which can be interchanged for maximum flexibility. Dubbed Ultium Drive the system is expected to offer industry-leading torque and power density across a wide spectrum of different vehicle types. The GM Ultium Drive family covers front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive propulsion combinations...

GMC Hummer EV will be unveiled on October 20th, GM teases its Crab Mode At the end of July, GM said it will unveil the GMC Hummer EV this autumn. Today, the company specified the date - October 20th. It also teased the vehicle's Crab Mode - a four-wheel-steer system that allows it to move diagonally. Reservation books will be open on GMC.com after the event while mass production of the vehicle will begin in the autumn of 2021. The GMC Hummer EV will be based on the new GM BT1 electric...

GM's future EVs will arrive with the industry's first wireless battery management system General Motors announced that its future electric vehicles will arrive with the industry's first wireless battery management system (wBMS). The technology is developed in collaboration with Analog Devices, Inc. It is expected to drive GM's Ultium-powered EVs to market faster and its flexible basic structure can easily receive new features as software becomes available. With expanded OTA updates provided by GM's...

GM will manufacture Nikola Badger General Motors and Nikola have announced they made a strategic partnership. GM buys 11% from Nikola for $2 billion and receives the right to nominate one director. The company will engineer, validate, homologate and build the Nikola Badger for both the battery electric vehicle and fuel cell electric vehicle variants as part of the in-kind services. General Motors expects to receive in excess of $4 billion of...

LG Chem is supplying NCM712 batteries to Volkswagen for the ID.4 and Renault for the ZOE LG Chem is starting the production of new anode materials that will increase the range of EVs. These are found in the NCM711 batteries and according to "people familiar with the matter" who spole to The Elec on Monday, LG Chem's factory in Polan has already begun supplying Volkswagen for the ID.4 and Renault for the ZOE with such batteries. It is expected that the NCM712 batteries will replace the NCM622 ones in LG...

GM's Wuling launched the Hong Guang MINI EV in China GM's Wuling launched the Hong Guang MINI EV in China today. Depending on the variant (there are three of them), the model costs from CNY 28,800 to CNY 38,800. The vehicle is 2,917 mm long, 1,493 mm wide and 1,621 mm high, with a 1,940-mm wheelbase. The compact dimensions make it ideal for urban commuting and parking in tight spaces. However, the interior has up to 741 liters of space with the rear seats folded down...

GM will introduce the GMC Hummer EV this autumn, releases a teaser video Today General Motors announced that it will unveil the GMC Hummer EV this autumn. Reservation books will be open after the event while mass production of the vehicle will begin in the autumn of 2021. The announcement is accompanied by a short teaser video which states a number of basic facts about the GMC Hummer EV which are already known such as 1,000 hp of power and 11,500 lb.ft. of torque. The 0-60 mph...

The Ultium Cells battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio develops on schedule Today marks the beginning of steel construction at the all-new Ultium Cells LLC battery cell manufacturing facility in Lordstown. Ultium Cells LLC is a joint venture that will mass-produce Ultium battery cells for electric vehicles and create more than 1,100 new jobs in Northeast Ohio. Since May 2020, ground has been broken and concrete footings have been poured at the facility. Steel construction at Ultium Cells...

GM unveils in full the Buick Velite 7 EV in China with a range of 500 km (311 mi) GM has unveiled in full the Buick Velite 7 EV in China. The subcompact crossover has is powered by the Buick eMotion electric propulsion system, featuring a new modular high-performance 55.6kWh lithium-ion battery that is good for a range of up to 500 km (~ 311 mi). With DC fast charging the battery can be charged for a range of 210 km in 30 minutes. The electric motor is capable of producing 130 kW (175 hp) of...

GM unveils plans for new EVs and battery techs for 500-600 mi ranges According to GM's 2019 Sustainability Report, the company unveils plans for releasing at least 20 new electric vehicles by 2023. Here they are brand by brand: Chevrolet One of the new Chevrolet EVs will be a mid-sized SUV for the US market based on the new BEV3 platform which was unveiled earlier this year together with the new Ultium battery system. Another model will be the Chevrolet BET pickup truck with more...

GM will introduce more EVs in South Korea, continues close partnership with LG Chem GM plans on introducing more electric vehicles in South Korea, reports Yonhap. Jesse Ortega, chief engineer at GM's Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Programs held an online briefing with Korean media dedicated to the topic. Earlier this month, GM launched in South Korea the 2020 Chevy Bolt EV. General Motors will present two new EV models this year - the Cadillac Lyriq SUV and the Hummer EV. The company said it will...

GM's Wuling unveiled the interior of its Hong Guang Mini EV At the end of May, GM's Chinese brand Wuling teased twice its first all-electric vehicle, inspired by the Kei-Car in Japan. It first showed off renders of the exterior and afterward - renders of the interior. Today, GM unveiled real photos of the interior of the vehicle as well as its name - Hong Guang Mini EV. Wuling's Hong Guang Mini EV interior has simple lines matched with two-color textured fabrics. The...

GM and LG Chem name their joint venture for EV batteries Ultium Cells In December last year, GM and LG Chem confirmed that they will build an EV battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio. Today, GM announced that the joint venture created by the two companies for this project is named Ultium Cells LLC. Moreover, construction has started with group prep activities. Even in pandemic times, product development work on GM's future EV and AV portfolios continues to progress at a rapid pace. The...