GM is ditching its one-size-fits-all Ultium battery system and adopting different cell codecs

is charting a course away from its . The corporate is dropping that standardized strategy in favor of a wider vary of battery cell chemistries and bodily codecs.

The automaker had hoped that, by adopting a unified system throughout all of its EVs in addition to , it might have the ability to cut back prices and ship them quicker. The plan was to pack the flat pouch-style Ultium cells into a wide range of modules relying on what was wanted for every EV.

Issues have not gone easily, as notes. Amongst different issues, COVID-19 slowed down the corporate’s EV roadmap and with the robots that assembled the modules.

“It now makes enterprise sense to transition from one-size-fits-all to new program-specific batteries,” Kurt Kelty, GM’s vice chairman of batteries, mentioned at an investor occasion. The automaker hopes that switching from Ultium’s nickel cobalt manganese chemistry to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery tech will decrease the price of its EVs by as a lot as $6,000. As notes, Tesla and Ford are amongst those who use LFP cells, that are mentioned to be cheaper and easier to fabricate. The , which is slated to reach in late 2025, will use such batteries.

GM plans to construct a brand new battery analysis facility on the Warren Tech Middle in Michigan. The crew there’ll discover cylindrical and prismatic cells along with the pouch format. Researchers will even look into various battery chemistries.

The shift in battery technique comes as GM chases profitability in its EV division. The corporate mentioned it is getting near that time. It is on monitor to construct and promote round 200,000 EVs this yr. GM now claims to be the quantity two EV vendor in North America behind Tesla.