GM builds factory to research cheaper and more efficient batteries

In the near future, electric vehicles will gradually replace conventional combustion engines. This change is propagated in many places today, but we still face some challenges before electrified transport becomes a reality. In addition to the necessary electricity capacities, we need batteries that can get us far and are quickly charged.

A real battle for the best battery has therefore broken out among vehicle manufacturers. Tesla has built a clear lead over the past few years, but the competition is already showing that electromobility and range do not have to be mutually exclusive. General Motors has developed the Ultium platform for this, an architecture on which the Group’s electric models are based.

In order to remain competitive, a new factory is currently being built in Michigan, in which battery cells will later be further developed and the next big breakthrough will be made possible. It should start on a total of around 28,000 square meters by 2022 at the latest, the cost of the project is kept secret by the company (it is only talked about an investment of several hundred million dollars).

All research efforts at GM are to be brought together in the new center, batteries with an energy density of 1,200 watt hours per liter are the first major goal. For comparison: today’s lithium-ion batteries have an energy density of about 700 watt hours per liter. Nevertheless, the costs should not rise immeasurably, they even want to be reduced by up to 60 percent.

The end customer benefits in that, in the end, more vehicles with a greater range can be ordered at a lower price, making electric mobility more affordable and therefore more attractive for many. In addition to the further development of batteries, manufacturing processes are also to be optimized; a cooperation with LG could lead to new standards and ideal solutions.

Own opinion:

When I think of electromobility, today’s battles are fought for a small group of customers. In my opinion, most manufacturers focus too much on people who can spend over 50,000 euros on an electric vehicle; the normal car buyer is usually not considered. So it would be nice to see if GM manages to make production so inexpensive that even the average person can buy a new electric vehicle. So the new center in Michigan may be the beginning of a success story.

Via TechCrunch