Electric Chevy Silverado pickup gets green light, will be manufactured in Detroit
In a move set to anger coal-rolling pickup drivers yet guarantee the future viability of Chevrolet, the company has announced that a fully electric version of it’s popular Silverado pickup truck will be manufactured at it’s Factory Zero electric vehicle only manufacturing site in Detroit and Hamtramck.
In a move set to anger coal-rolling pickup drivers yet guarantee the future viability of Chevrolet, the company has announced that a fully electric version of it’s popular Silverado pickup truck will be manufactured at it’s Factory Zero electric vehicle only manufacturing site in Detroit and Hamtramck.
The fact that General Motors (GM) is going electric not only signifies GM’s commitment to electrification, but represents a significant future shift in the market. The Chevrolet Silverado is the second most popular new and used vehicle in the United States, selling close to 600,000 new units in 2020.
The Chevrolet Silverado electric will be a full-size pickup based on the company’s Ultium EV architecture, and according to GM will travel more than 400 miles (642 kilometres) on a full charge. General motors has committed billions not only to the new Factory Zero site, but also to electrifying its entire model line up, and its Ultium Cells joint venture with LG Chem LLC.
A release date for the Silverado electric is not yet known, but GM president Mark Reuss said at an event on Tuesday this week that the company will also make fleet-focused versions of the truck for commercial customers.
The current 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. Image: General Motors
Ultium Cells completes construction milestone at Ohio factory
Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Chem, aims to mass-produce Ultium battery cells at this new Ohio facility for General Motors’ next generation zero-emissions vehicles. GM and LG Chem are investing $2.3 billion in the facility to support EV manufacturing in the U.S., and in turn, local jobs, education, career training and infrastructure.
Ultium Cells factory under construction as GM nears 2022 launch date for next generation EV products
Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Chem, aims to mass-produce Ultium battery cells at a new Lordstown Ohio facility for General Motors’ next generation electric vehicles. General Motors and LG Chem are investing $2.3 billion in the facility to support EV manufacturing in the U.S., and in turn, local jobs, education, career training and infrastructure.
Working with LG Chem and General Motors, Ultium’s cells are of the large-format pouch design, and contain either vertically- or horizontally-stacked cells to integrate into GM’s upcoming modular EV platform – vertically for trucks, SUVs and crossovers, or horizontally for cars and performance vehicles.
Cadillac’s Lyriq is expected to debut GM’s new modular EV platform.
GM claims the batteries are able to be programmed digitally, as new chemistry is developed and becomes available, the battery management system could be upgraded digitally, similar to what Tesla already does with its over-the-air updates.
These high-capacity battery cells will also be switching to a Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminium chemistry, which reportedly uses 70% less cobalt than current technology.
The drive unit placement is also flexible, enabling front-, rear- and all-wheel drive variations. The motors were designed in-house at GM, and the modular platform is the first of its kind to support both front- and rear-wheel drive variants.
Ironworkers at Ultium Cells LLC’s battery cell manufacturing facility marked a construction milestone today with the final beam installation at what will soon be a 2.8-million-square-foot (260,000 square metre) operation in Lordstown, Ohio.
The team hoisted and installed the final beam as part of a traditional “topping out” ceremony, where leadership and trade partner employees had the opportunity to sign the beam and participate in a photograph.
Ultium Cells’ Ohio factory has topped out. Image: GM
Over 500,000 hours have been devoted to development of the facility, which is set to be completed in 2022. The framework of the building allows for an open floor plan, and the plant will equal the size of 30 football fields with an annual capacity of over 30 gigawatt hours of battery production, with room to expand.
“We are pleased construction at Ultium continues to progress safely and on schedule,” said Kee Eun, president of Ultium Cells LLC. “While we faced unprecedented challenges from the very beginning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been able to execute successfully according to plan thanks to the collaborative efforts between General Motors and LG Chem, as well as the support and commitment from our contract partners and the local community.”
Ultium Cells is planning to create more than 1,100 new jobs in Northeast Ohio and is hiring to fill those positions currently.
Cadillac’s flagship Lyriq will likely be the first GM model to hit the market utilising Ultium Cells and GM’s new modular platform in the first quarter of 2022.
GM’s modular EV platform: Image: General Motors
GM Grows EV Investment to $27bn, Charges Ahead Toward Electric Future
On Thursday, GM announced an addition $7 billion will be invested in the company’s electrification and autonomy program, hopefully accelerating the US automaker to the forefront of battery, electric vehicle drivetrain and autonomous technology.
On Thursday, GM announced an addition $7 billion will be invested in the company’s electrification and autonomy program, hopefully accelerating the US automaker to the forefront of battery, electric vehicle drivetrain and autonomous technology.
"Climate change is real, and we want to be part of the solution by putting everyone in an electric vehicle," said GM Chief Executive Mary Barra.
"We are transitioning to an all-electric portfolio from a position of strength and we're focused on growth."
GM’s EV platform will underpin the majority of its brands’ architecture over the next decade.
GM Estimates 40% of it’s model range will be electrified by mid-decade, and the company is currently developing new Ultium-based battery packs with claimed efficiency gains, a 450mi range, and cost savings of 60% over current battery technology used by GM’s brands. Some battery highlights include:
Cell design that enables higher energy density and uses less non-active material, making more room for the part of the battery that produces energy.
Manufacturing efficiencies through GM’s Ultium Cells LLC joint venture with LG Chem.
Better integration between vehicles and their battery packs, enabling fewer cells and modules.
Less expensive cathodes, reduced active material, novel electrolytes and the first use of lithium metal anodes in a GM battery.
No official EPA testing has verified these range claims, and much of the industry is still cautious about GM’s ability to produce competitive cells.
The capital spend is welcome however, and represents an important shift in the company; for the first time, investment in electrification outweights investment in combustion engine technology.
Full press release below.
Source: GM
GM’s new Ultium Battery Cells. Image: GM
Thirty new global EV launches planned through 2025
More than $27 billion in planned EV and AV product spending to exceed GM’s gas and diesel investment
By mid-decade, GM’s Ultium battery packs projected to cost 60 percent less than today’s packs with twice the energy density
GM ups full-charge maximum range of Ultium-based EVs to 450 miles
DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) Chairman and CEO Mary Barra revealed that the company will offer 30 all-electric models globally by mid-decade. Forty percent of the company’s U.S. entries will be battery electric vehicles by the end of 2025. Barra also announced an increase in GM’s financial commitment to EVs and AVs today to $27 billion through 2025 – up from the $20 billion planned before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Climate change is real, and we want to be part of the solution by putting everyone in an electric vehicle,” said Barra. “We are transitioning to an all-electric portfolio from a position of strength and we’re focused on growth. We can accelerate our EV plans because we are rapidly building a competitive advantage in batteries, software, vehicle integration, manufacturing and customer experience.”
At the virtual Barclays Global Automotive Conference, Barra and Doug Parks, GM executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, will share key elements of GM’s plan, including:
By 2025, GM will launch 30 EVs around the world, and more than two-thirds will be available in North America. Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet and Buick will all be represented, with EVs at all price points for work, adventure, performance and family use.
Engineering advances have increased the previously stated GM-estimated maximum range of Ultium-based vehicles from 400. GM’s Ultium-based EVs, when produced, will be capable of driving ranges up to 450 miles on a full charge1.
GM’s versatile Ultium platform provides the building blocks for everything, from mass market to high performance vehicles – all from a single, common cell in most markets and a set of interchangeable propulsion components.
More than half of GM’s capital spending and product development team will be devoted to electric and electric-autonomous vehicle programs.
GM’s second-generation Ultium chemistry is projected to deliver twice the energy density at less than half the cost of today’s chemistry. GM is already prototype testing this next-generation technology, which is expected to be available mid-decade.
Ultium technology, supported by hundreds of granted patents and pending patent applications, is expected to bring EVs closer to price parity with gas-powered vehicles.
Both the GMC HUMMER EV and Cadillac LYRIQ programs were accelerated, along with other vehicles to be revealed at a later date.
GM is hiring 3,000 electrical system, infotainment software and controls engineers, plus developers for Java, Android, iOS and other platforms.
GM continues to explore third-party licensing for its Ultium EV architecture, batteries and propulsion systems, along with its Hydrotec fuel cell technology developed with Honda.
GM, in collaboration with its dealers, will leverage its sales and service capabilities and software-powered innovations to deliver an exceptional customer experience for EV loyalists and new EV customers alike.
GM innovates in EV propulsion despite COVID-19
Ultium already represents a milestone achievement in electrification, with battery pack costs nearly 40 percent lower than those in the Chevrolet Bolt EV. Despite the pandemic, GM’s work on EVs accelerated during 2020.
Now, just eight months after the technology was first revealed, GM is projecting that second-generation Ultium packs, expected mid-decade, will cost 60 percent less than the batteries in use today with twice the energy density expected.
These second-generation cells will get closer to cost parity with gas-powered engines due to:
Cell design that enables higher energy density and uses less non-active material, making more room for the part of the battery that produces energy.
Manufacturing efficiencies through GM’s Ultium Cells LLC joint venture with LG Chem.
Better integration between vehicles and their battery packs, enabling fewer cells and modules.
Less expensive cathodes, reduced active material, novel electrolytes and the first use of lithium metal anodes in a GM battery.
GM has completed hundreds of test cycles on the multi-layer prototypes of this next-generation Ultium cell chemistry. Production cells are expected by mid-decade.
The Ultium platform is flexible enough to accept new chemistry and even cell types, without redesigns to its architecture. Ultium batteries will be easy to service at the module level, which makes repair costs less expensive than having to replace the whole pack.
“GM’s EV development times are speeding up and costs are going down rapidly, so we expect our Ultium EV programs to be profitable from the first generation on,” said Parks. “It’s not just the cost and performance of our innovative EV components that will give us a competitive advantage in a fast-changing industry, but how we integrate them with other advanced systems like Super Cruise, our Vehicle Intelligence Platform electrical architecture and other technologies pioneered in our traditional portfolio.”
GM is doing most of the development work on these cells internally at its Chemical and Materials Systems Lab, located at the Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. This facility features a fabrication line with polymer mixing, slurries, a coating machine and a cell assembly room.
Next year, GM will break ground on an all-new Battery Innovation Lab and Manufacturing Technology Center to develop the next-generation Ultium battery chemistry.
GM speeds its EV rollout and pace of innovation
The modular and highly flexible qualities of the Ultium system, along with engineering advances in battery technology, the use of virtual development tools and lessons learned during the HUMMER EV development process, have enabled GM to bring EVs to market much faster than originally planned.
The 2022 GMC HUMMER EV’s development time of 26 months – down from about 50 months – is now the benchmark.
The development schedules for 12 vehicle programs have been moved up, including:
GMC HUMMER EV
Three other GMC Ultium variants, including an EV pickup
Four Chevrolet EVs, including a pickup and compact crossover
Four Cadillacs
In addition, Buick’s EV lineup will include two Ultium-based EVs.
After the GMC HUMMER EV, the next EV to launch will be the LYRIQ, Cadillac’s first all-electric vehicle, which will arrive in the first quarter of 2022, nine months ahead of schedule.
“Ultium is already changing the way customers – and investors – view our company,” Barra said. “We are resolved as a management team to move even faster to expedite the transition to EVs. The all-electric future we are building integrates all the things we do better than anybody else – so we can put everyone in an EV, generate profitable growth and create shareholder value.”
