Honda and GM partner for EV battery development

Future EVs will need batteries with higher energy density, smaller packaging, and the potential for faster charging.

These are the three targets mentioned in a new multiyear battery partnership between General Motors and Honda. Joining forces will help them achieve economies of scale and bring costs down, Car and Driver reports.

The partnership will apply to advanced battery cells and modules for EVs, mainly for North America, which gives Honda the option to source battery modules from GM.

The automakers haven’t disclosed information on how much any financial commitment is, how manufacturing capacity might be balanced, or the partnership’s length.

“This new, multiyear agreement with Honda further demonstrates General Motors’ capability to innovate toward a profitable electric portfolio,” GM global product development purchasing and supply chain executive vice-president Mark Reuss says.

Honda and GM have had various powertrain partnerships before. Honda V6 engines were used in some Saturn models, for instance. Under a partnership announced in January 2017, GM and Honda will develop and manufacture the next generation of their core fuel-cell hardware together, beginning in 2020 at GM’s facility in Brownstown Township, Michigan.

Each invested US$42.5 million in the fuel-cell venture.

GM sells the Chevrolet Bolt EV, and last year its chief executive officer Mary Barra said the company intends making its next generation of EVs profitable, delivering a more than 480km range for some models.

The latest partnership may help.

Honda’s only all-electric vehicle is the Honda Clarity Electric, a model limited to California and Oregon and offered by lease only. It has a 143km EPA range.

Honda is working on a dedicated EV platform, with the first global products arriving toward the end of 2019.