Ultium Cells Spring Hill, TN. September 2022.
Courtesy: Ultium Cells LLC
Ultium Cells, a three way partnership between Basic Motors and LG Power Answer, stated Monday it is upgrading its facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee, to make low-cost electrical car battery cells.
GM stated the lithium iron phosphate battery cells — abbreviated LFP based mostly on the weather’ chemical symbols — may very well be considerably cheaper than battery packs utilized in some EVs, partly as a result of they do not require costly minerals like cobalt and nickel which can be utilized in customary lithium-ion batteries.
“This improve at Spring Hill will allow us to scale manufacturing of lower-cost LFP cell applied sciences within the U.S., complementing our high-nickel and future lithium manganese wealthy options and additional diversifying our rising EV portfolio,” Kurt Kelty, vp of batteries, propulsion and sustainability at GM, stated in a launch.
GM has 12 EVs in its lineup, spanning a worth vary of roughly $35,000 to greater than $300,000.
The Detroit automaker teamed up with LG to speculate $2.3 billion within the Tennessee battery plant when it was introduced in 2021. The businesses stated Monday’s announcement builds on the partnership, however didn’t disclose an extra greenback quantity for the improve.
Ultium stated it expects industrial manufacturing of the LFP cells to start by late 2027.
The announcement comes as GM has been engaged on a separate kind of recent battery expertise for its largest electrical SUVs and vans. Totally different EV battery chemistries affect all the things from the vary and security of EVs to power effectivity and charging capabilities, amongst different wants.
The identical yr that GM and LG introduced their funding in Tennessee, GM CEO Mary Barra stated GM would completely supply EVs by 2035. On the time, she stated the corporate would make investments $35 billion between 2020 and 2025 on the trouble, however GM has since stated buyer demand — which has been slower than anticipated — will dictate its EV plans, and it has not disclosed its whole EV funding up to now.
