10 New EVs by 2021; Cost-Effective Batteries
General Motors is all in on electric vehicles. GM President Mark Reuss told a group of employees, dealers investors, analysts, media and policymakers today that the company is “on the cusp of delivering a profitable EV business that can satisfy millions of customers.” In addition to presenting a product cadence that crossed all brands, the company also unveiled part of the “secret sauce” that the company believes will make this corporate reinvention a profitable enterprise. GM plans to spend $20 billion on electric and autonomous vehicle research and development, but it also expects that the outcome will be profitable products that boost the company’s revenues.
Two elements are at the core of GM’s strategy, First—a simplification of product platforms where one architecture can be used to create electric trucks, SUVs, crossovers, cars and commercial vehicles, and less complex propulsion systems (19 compared with 550 for current internal combustion engine options). The savings for the company from this strategy are immense.
The second element was one of the main points of the day’s presentations—GM’s new Ultium batteries, which feature large-format, pouch-style cells that have flexibility of configuration and promise up to 400 miles or more of range along with Tesla-like performance. Part of a joint venture with LG Chem, GM said it sees battery cells’ costs dropping below $100/kilowatt-hour (kWh) due to a low cobalt chemistry and technological and manufacturing breakthroughs.
New EVs Coming
The Cruise Origin, an autonomous, shared, electric vehicle shown publicly earlier this year, was the first product using the new third generation EV platform and using the Ultium batteries. The Cadillac Lyriq SUV will debut next month, followed by the electric GMC Hummer in May. The new Chevrolet Bolt EV is due late this year, followed by the Bolt EUV, a crossover based on this new platform.
GM is banking on the forecast of increasing EV acceptance in the consumer market, which the company sees accelerating in the latter half of the decade (2025-30), driven by emissions regulations and internal combustion engine vehicle restrictions in Europe, China and North America. GM also believes the proliferation of electric models from traditional and new companies could drive sales even higher, particularly as consumers see the reduction in total cost of ownership in electric vehicles. GM said it could scale its operations to meet any increased demand.
Citing the ability to leverage its existing property and facilities, along with reduced battery and manufacturing costs, GM believes its first generation of new EVs will be profitable. That would be a first for any electric vehicles produced to this point.
The New Battery
GM’s new Ultium batteries and flexible platform definitely put the company into contention in the expanding EV market, alongside Tesla and Volkswagen, two leaders who have touted similar developments. The Ultium will have energy options ranging from 50 to 200 kWh, packaged in front-, rear- and all-wheel drive configurations as well as performance all-wheel drive applications. Most of the new EVs will have 400-volt battery packs designed for up to 200 kW fast-charging while trucks will have 800-volt battery packs and 350 kW fast-charging capability.
The key will be the vehicles, as Chevrolet found when it launched the Bolt several years ago. Even though on paper the car appeared to be competitive with Tesla’s Model 3 (and was enjoyed by Clean Fleet Report staffers) and beat that car to market, it failed to capture the market’s interest the same way as Tesla’s successful compact EV. VW has been discussing its electric platform and the variety of products coming from it for several years, although it looks like GM’s new vehicles may hit the market at around the same time. The bottom line is that the competitive market is coming alive and consumers will be the winners as the variety and performance of EVs looks like it will be exploding during the coming years.
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The EV charging infrastructure is improving continuously in the USA, and more new EV models will be coming soon. There are the many ev friendly states in the United States which are in working conditions, as stated by Plugshare.
Amen to that, Jackson!
just thought i’d share the link with you guys – https://www.plugshare.com/directory/us
Thanks, Jackson. This remains one of the best tools to navigate the EV infrastructure.