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GM released 3rd-generation EV platform that covers all levels of models

From:Internet Info Agency 2020-03-05 16:29:58

On March 5, US time, at the Warren Technology Center in Michigan, GM showed the core of the company's electrification strategy to the outside world for the first time, namely the modular drive system and the third-generation global EV platform equipped with Ultium exclusive battery. IIA learned from General Motors that the platform is highly flexible and will cover all levels of vehicles, including pickups and performance cars.



GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra: "In order to realize the future of battery electric, our team continues to challenge itself and redefine product development. The electrification strategy we have established covers multiple brands and market segments, and its economies of scale are comparable to that of full-size pickup trucks, and are more flexible. " "


GM President Mark Reuss said, "Thousands of scientists, engineers, and designers have worked together to achieve historic innovations designed to increase consumer satisfaction with electric vehicles and achieve business profitability."

Highlights of the Ultium battery and drive system

Ultium batteries range in capacity from 50 kWh to 200 kWh and can run up to 640 kilometers of cruising range. The drive system can achieve 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in only 3 seconds. The battery cells can be arranged in vertical and horizontal directions, which is beneficial to optimize battery energy storage and vehicle layout.


Electric cars with Ultium batteries support home charging and DC fast charging. Most models will be equipped with a 400V battery pack and a 200 kW fast charge capability. The electric pickup will be equipped with an 800V battery pack and a 350 kW fast charge capability.

In terms of drive systems, GM's self-developed motors will provide a wide range of options including front-drive, rear-drive, four-wheel drive, and performance four-wheel drive.


Compared to traditional fuel vehicles, the structure of electric vehicles is already relatively simple. GM has adopted a strategy of collaborative development of the entire vehicle and drive system to further reduce the complexity and number of parts of electric vehicles. It is reported that GM has initially planned to launch 19 battery and drive unit combinations.

Towards a future of battery electric

GM is steadily advancing various tasks and fully moving towards the future of battery electric. Not long ago, GM announced a $ 2.2 billion investment in the Detroit-Hamtramck plant in Michigan for the production of multiple brands of battery electric trucks and SUVs, including the new GMC Hummer. Among them, battery electric pickups will be officially put into production in the fall of 2021.


In December 2019, General Motors announced the establishment of a new joint venture with LG Chem. The two parties jointly invested US $ 2.3 billion in research and development and production of battery cells. The goal is to reduce battery costs to less than US $ 100 per kilowatt hour. Patented chemical formula with low cobalt content.

The new joint venture will build a large-scale production of battery cells in the Lordstown area of Ohio, and construction is expected to begin in mid-2020. The annual capacity of the new battery factory will exceed 30GWh, and the production scale can be flexibly expanded according to demand. The battery cells produced by the joint venture will be used in GM's future electric vehicle products.

Full coverage of all models

GM's next-generation global electric vehicle platform will cover a wide range of market segments, including pickups, SUVs, crossovers, sedans, and commercial vehicles. The electric, autonomous, shareable Cruise Origin BEV, released in San Francisco in January this year, will be the first product equipped with a third-generation electric vehicle platform and Ultium battery.


Cruise Origin is GM's first step in this vision, and also a vision for a new transportation system. The manufacturing cost of this model is about half that of ordinary electric SUVs. Each Origin can drive more than 1 million miles (about 1.61 million kilometers) autonomously around the clock, which will save San Francisco families up to $ 5,000 in transportation costs in a year. In the future, the model will be produced at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant.

GM plans to launch at least 20 pure electric models worldwide by 2023. In early 2019, General Motors announced that it would take Cadillac as a pioneer to lead its next-generation electrification strategy. According to the plan, Cadillac Lyriq battery electric luxury SUV will make its world debut in April. Then in May, the GMC Hummer, an electric pickup equipped with an Ultium battery, will also officially debut.

GM will make full use of existing production bases and resources to improve the capital efficiency of the electric vehicle business. The modular development approach will also significantly improve the economies of scale of electric vehicles. GM expects that the first generation of future electric vehicle projects will be profitable and lay the foundation for long-term sustainable growth. In addition, by participating in the manufacture of battery cells, GM has further integrated the upstream industry chain. In the future, it may authorize the use of batteries in third-party products and open up new sources of revenue.

Editor:Xi Xiaolin