GM's New Battery Tech Could Be a Breakthrough for Affordable EVs

General Motors is bringing in potentially groundbreaking new battery tech that not only has 30 percent more energy density at the existing production cost for cells, but would also circumvent China's stranglehold on intellectual property for EV batteries. The company even claims this new type of battery pack could lower the cost of its electric SUVs so they're comparable to their gasoline counterparts. The news came today as GM has announced it will use lithium manganese-rich (LMR) battery cells in its largest electric vehicles, the full-size trucks and SUVs sold by Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. They are to be produced by Ultium Cells, its joint-venture battery company with LG Energy Solutions. The first such cells will come from a pilot line in 2027, with full volume production in 2028 at a plant it hasn’t yet disclosed. The new cells are in the prismatic format, versus Ultium’s current pouch cells, which use a nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NCMA) chemistry. Those cells, in large ... Read full article.