General Motors, LG Energy Solutions, to manufacture new, low-cost battery batteries for future electric vehicles
Starting in 2028, General Motors (GM) and battery partner LG Energy Solutions plan to start commercially producing lower-cost batteries at U.S. facilities for future electric vehicles, the companies said Tuesday.
These cells will have lithium-rich (LMR) chemistry, which GM costs less than nickel-rich cells used today, but will still provide customers with the range they need in future electric trucks and full-size SUVs.
According to GM data, these cells will also be prisms with the current bag structure, reducing the number of parts in the battery pack by more than 50%.
The Detroit automaker now has 12 electric cars in its lineup, trying to reduce battery costs by adding new types of cells and chemicals to those cells to make it equally the same cost as gasoline-powered products.
“We are adopting flexible chemistry to achieve the best balance of optimal range, performance and affordability,” GM Vice President Kurt Kelty said in a media briefing that announced the news.
“My mission is to have as many electric cars as possible on the road. We need to get price parity with (internal combustion engine vehicles) and then that thing will take off.”
LG Energy Solution is a South Korea-based battery company that also works with Stellantis at its large Nextstar Enver EV battery factory in Windsor, Ontario. Last year, workers assembled batteries into modules and had some production done. It is expected to eventually employ 2,500 employees.
The Nextstar plant remains on track despite news Tuesday that Honda is postponing plans for the Ontario electric vehicle factory for at least two years. However, the total production opening date has not been determined.
The GM facility's LMR batteries will be manufactured in one of two LG-GM combined Venture Ultium battery turrets owned by the company in Ohio and Tennessee. With LMR prism cells, GM is expected to charge more than 640 kilometers in a single charge on an electric truck, while significantly reducing our battery costs. ”
General Motors is expected to reduce the cost of its battery pack by $30 in 2025, but it has not said how much it costs per kilogram hour.
GM also plans to offer vehicles with lithium phosphate-based batteries that also cost less than nickel cells. Kelty said GM will release more information as soon as possible.
While GM aims to be the first automaker to commercially deploy LMR batteries in its electric vehicles, Crosstown rival Ford Motor is also working to deploy the technology.
