General Motors once led the world in car sales, and still, with some exceptions, leads in the United States
Now the automaker hopes to become a leader in the production of electric vehicles in its homeland and abroad.
The Detroit-based company has made significant investments in EV technology by betting that its new Ultium platform, consisting of batteries, engines, software and other components, will help it outpace the competition of older automakers and countless startups and eventually replace Tesla as a manufacturer. № 1.
The automaker unveiled its Ultium EV platform in March 2020 and is delivering the first cars built on it this year.
The Ultium platform is based on GM batteries. They were developed in partnership with LG Energy Solutions, a division of the Korean conglomerate LG Corp.
Batteries use very unusual chemicals that reduce the cost of expensive and hard-to-reach cobalt by 70%. According to the company, the move will help reduce the cost of the battery below $ 100 per kilowatt-hour – usually considered a critical threshold for the competitiveness of EVs with internal combustion engines.
GM’s battery management system is also different from the competition. The Ultium platform allows GM to run rechargeable batteries with different chemicals in one package, so parts of the package can be replaced over time.
According to GM, it is such innovations by 2025 that will make it a leader in electric transportation in North America. In 2021, Tesla dominated the US market.
But competition from other automakers is fierce. And on their way there are many more contenders, from almost all over the world.
Watch the video to learn more.
