Substainability

GM has independently developed an NCMA quaternary battery-Ultium battery, which reduces the cobalt metal content in the battery by about 70% by adding aluminum. The battery pack has 20 times more capacity than traditional cylindrical battery packs, and its cruising range can reach 400 miles (about 650 kilometers) or more.

On October 15th, SAIC-GM Ultium Giga Factory officially started production in Jinqiao, Pudong New Area, Shanghai.

The plant is upgraded from the original SAIC General Power Battery System Development Center, and the planned product line covers all series of new energy vehicle battery systems such as light hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and pure electric.

With the start of production at the factory, the first model built on the Ultium electric vehicle platform, the Cadillac luxury smart pure electric SUV LYRIQ, will start pre-sale within this year and will be officially launched next year. 

It is necessary to point out that GM has also independently developed an NCMA quaternary cell product-Ultium battery, which reduces the cobalt metal content in the battery by about 70% by adding aluminum. The battery pack has 20 times more capacity than traditional cylindrical battery packs, and its cruising range can reach 400 miles (about 650 kilometers) or more.

At the same time, the connection between the back and the outer shell of the Ultium battery will be reduced by 50%, and the connection within the battery module assembly will be reduced by 80%.

In order to mass-produce the battery, General Motors has established a battery joint venture company Ultium Cells LLC (50% shareholding) with LG Chem, and jointly invested US$2.3 billion (about 16.4 billion yuan) to build a power battery with an annual capacity of 30GWh in Lordstown, the United States. The project is currently under construction and is expected to be put into production by the end of 2022.

General Motors announced the introduction of the Ultium electric vehicle platform into China, which will inevitably put forward higher requirements for battery supply and cost reduction, and localized mass production will be a reliable way to enhance its competitiveness in the Chinese market. 

Currently, CATL has supplied power batteries for the electric vehicles of Buick and Chevrolet under SAIC-GM, and has entered GM’s supply chain. In the future, after the joint production of batteries with GM in China, the cooperation between the two parties will be further deepened, thereby increasing the share of CATL in the domestic and international battery market.