Next Gen Ultium Delivers 500-600 Mile Range

[John]

How’s we are talking. Thanks GM Authority for surfacing this exciting information, of course not just for the C9 but for other GM electric coming down the pike.

Next-Generation Ultium Batteries To Deliver 500 To 600 Miles Of Range

• BY SAM MCEACHERN
  • — JAN 13, 2021

Last year, General Motors revealed it was already working on the second-generation of its Ultium modular battery system, despite the fact that the first vehicles with Ultium batteries have yet to officially enter production.


First-generation Ultium battery pack

Now, the American automaker has revealed even more information on the next-gen Ultium batteries. During GM’s CES 2021 keynote presentation video, titled “Inflection Point: Putting Everybody in an EV,” GM Technical Fellow and Lab Group Manager, Mei Cai, stated that the next-generation Ultium batteries will provide a maximum driving range of 500 to 600 miles.

By comparison, the first-generation Ultium batteries are predicted to provide a maximum driving range of 400-450 miles in certain vehicles. Range won’t be the only advantage the second-gen batteries have over the current ones. As GM’s Vice President of Global Product Development, Doug Parks, explained last year, the new batteries will also be much more cost-effective, providing a 60 percent cost improvement over the battery found in the Chevrolet Bolt EV, while also being twice as energy-dense.

“This is big stuff,” Parks said. “For this and many other reasons, we expect to be on the leading edge of performance and cost compared to anyone and everyone else in the EV space.”



GM’s battery cell manufacturing joint venture partnership with LG Chem, Ultium Cells LLC, will compound with the second-generation battery advancements to put GM in an even more competitive position with regard to its EV technology. By manufacturing its battery cells in-house and splitting the cost with an established battery manufacturer like LG Chem, GM expects to have a dominant position with regard to EVs.



“Our manufacturing approach also affects the cost curve,” Parks said last year. “It’s a complex and developing manufacturing process and having a strong joint venture like we do with LG is the way to win. Manufacturing and joint ventures allow us to excel in operating equipment efficiency, first time quality and waste recycling.”

It’s not clear what the first vehicle to feature the improved second-generation Ultium battery cells will be, however GM expects the new design to enter production by mid-decade.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2021/01...iles-of-range/

[Racer86]

Mid-decade ? Might not be industry leading technology by then.

[Murray20c8]

Way further than a tank of gas ... unless your Jeremy Welborn
Just need fast chargers and infrastructure.

[meyerweb]

Way further than a tank of gas ...

But I can "recharge" my ICE car in about 2 minutes, at any of 168,000 gas stations. On back roads and in small towns, not just on major highways and well populated areas. The charging infrastructure still needs major improvement to make electric cars practical for ALL the trips people take in their cars.

[Murray20c8]

But I can "recharge" my ICE car in about 2 minutes, at any of 168,000 gas stations. On back roads and in small towns, not just on major highways and well populated areas. The charging infrastructure still needs major improvement to make electric cars practical for ALL the trips people take in their cars.

Didn't I say that?
Call me "Meant to say"

[hogyld]

When the Ford Automobile was first introduced to the World, how many gas stations were there then? At first, they dotted the landscape, one here, one there, and then 5, 10, 15 years later, people were visiting long distance family members they’ve either never met, or hadn’t seen in a long time.

As the technology gets perfected, I predict (in 5, 10, maybe 15 years) almost instantaneous charging stations of 10 mins or less or who knows, perhaps the battery technology will change so rapidly that rather than talking about how quick a charging station re-charges, we’ll be talking about how many DAYS a full charge will last before recharging is even necessary.

[meyerweb]

When the Ford Automobile was first introduced to the World, how many gas stations were there then? At first, they dotted the landscape, one here, one there, and then 5, 10, 15 years later, people were visiting long distance family members they’ve either never met, or hadn’t seen in a long time.

True, but when the Model T was produced, cars were relatively rare, and rarely used for long distance travel. Today's use cases and expectations are different. In 15 years electrics and charging capabilities will probably be ubiquitous. But we're not there today, and won't be when GM starts really pushing electric cars.

[John]

We are already seeing some electrics that can charge in ten minutes. Let’s be real that while we all do a 3 minute gas station stop in our neighborhoods, once one adds a snack purchase and a bathroom break when we are going many places, we are close to ten minutes. And if electric cars of five years from now can get us 500 miles range, that is better than 90% of our gas vehicles can now.

I would like, ten years from now, just $ 1 for everyone on this forum who is currently saying “no way” to my ever buying an electric, but who then owns one.

I said “no way” to every plug in just six months ago, yet now we love our Toyota RAV4 Prime plug in hybrid. BTW, I just did the math and it has cost us less then $13.00 total for all its electric usage in the first six weeks of ownership, and just under $25.00 for gas usage. True we are far from daily commuters and Covid has kept us home more than usual, but we are liking the both modalities providing us more than 42 MPG equivalent.

Let us remember that when we first learned that the C8 was not going to have a manual trans option, the hundreds who said “no way” to my ever buying one. Laughing out loud that all my friends who said that and now are sleeping in their C8’s nightly, or at least giving a nightly-night hug every night.

[RSVette]

My wife and I are on our 3rd EV lease. We have had 2 Volts and now we are on our first Bolt. The leasing strategy is my way of dealing with the technology curve. The original Volt was nice but it was low on the technology curve and not worth a purchase when considering a ten year replacement cycle. The new Cadillacs with a 400 mile max charge may also be leased because the technology just over the horizon is so much better. I have solar panels so I do not pay for gas, or even the electricity that powers the Bolt. My only cost is a dirt cheap lease payment. We have a really fun car with all the bells and whistles and the only cost is a special low cost lease payment. I can afford to play the technology curve by using low cost leases.

[John]

Good sound economic strategy. Kind of like some are leasing (monthly payments for a relatively short time) their iPhones and equivalent.