GM ups EV stakes

General Motors is not only promising 30 EVs by mid-decade but says a coming battery breakthrough will reduce its EV prices to equal internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles within five years and provide up to 724km range.

GM aims to be the top seller of EVs globally, chief executive Mary Barra told the recent Barclays Global Automotive Conference.

It’s developing the Ultium battery pack which is intended to incorporate new battery chemistry now being tested, GM saying it will cost about 60% less than EV batteries used today – making EVs cheaper.

Meanwhile, GM has also reversed its decision to work with US president Donald Trump’s administration seeking to stop California setting its own emission rules, seeking to cooperate instead with president-elect Joe Biden who is making EVs a key priority and intending to spend billions on them and charging infrastructure.

GM will increase spending on EVs and autonomous vehicles (AVs), planning to put US$27 billion (US$7b more than forecast) towards such projects to 2025.

An electric Hummer SUV is planned for US market release later next year, an electric Cadillac Lyriq is due early 2022 and a Chevrolet electric ute and SUV are also among coming GM EVs.

GM is leading the way in 48-volt hybrid cars in China, the hybrids also expected to help meet new emission standards, IDTechEx reports

“The upgrade consists of little more than replacing the alternator with a motor-starter-generator and adding a lithium-ion battery to the lead-acid one,” the report 48V Full Hybrid, 48V Mild Hybrid, 48V BEV Cars: Markets, Technology Roadmap 2021-2041 says.

“A DC-DC converter charges them and delivers their electricity to a host of new electrical devices, even increasing comfort and performance along the way.”

The report reveals that under 20% of traditional car manufacturers are passing up on this precious buying of time as they race to the end game of battery electric.

“48V hybrid sales could rise to a massive 20% of all car production boosted by the recent discovery that there is even a simple path to 48V full hybrids (HEV) as upgrades of existing models,” it says.

IDTechEx believes that HEVs could drop 10% in cost and it proposes solar wrap as an easy route to 10% more electricity on top.

 GM this year introduced its first 48V model in China, the Chevrolet Monza 48V, followed by five new Orlando 48V variants.