General Motors said it plans to begin using a “groundbreaking” lower-cost battery technology in its largest electric SUVs and trucks in 2028, in a move that it said would deliver the same range to drivers while boosting profitability.
The new batteries use lithium manganese-rich (LMR) chemistry that relies more on prevalent, less-expensive minerals such as manganese rather than larger amounts of scarcer cobalt and nickel as is the case with most current EV batteries, GM said.
The cells also use a prismatic rather than the current pouch structure, which GM said would reduce the number of parts in the battery pack by 50 percent.
‘Game-changing’
The carmaker said it planned to begin production of the new technology with partner LG Energy Solution at an American plant, one of the two LG-GM joint venture Ultium Cells factories in Ohio and Tennessee.
The cells are expected to offer more than 400 miles of range on a singe charge for an electric truck while “significantly” reducing battery costs, said GM vice president of battery, propulsion and sustainability Kurt Kelty.
He said price parity with internal combustion vehicles would help EVs “take off”, calling the technology “game-changing”.
While GM is hoping to be the first to bring the batteries to a mass market, competitor Ford Motor earlier this month similarly said it planned to launch LMR batteries before 2030.
Preproduction of the batteries is expected to begin at an LG Energy Solution facility by late 2027, the companies said.
Prismatic cells have conventionally been used in hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius, and have come to EVs more recently.
Cost reduction
Kelty said the prismatic LMR batteries would be supplemental to GM’s existing pouch cell batteries, as well as upcoming lithium iron phosphate (LFP) prismatic cells the company is planning to use in smaller, entry-level EVs.
He said GM had achieved a cost-reduction of $60 (£45) per kilowatt-hour last year, but didn’t give details on the specific cost of its batteries.
The average cost of battery packs for EVs dropped 20 percent to $115 per kilowatt-hour last year, according to a Bloomberg price survey in December.
Kelty said GM has now surpassed Tesla as the top EV battery manufacturer in North America.
The company now offers 12 EVs in its range, including massive vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado and Escalade IQ that the LMR prismatic cells are intended for.
