GM isn’t resting on its laurels with its new Ultium Battery tech, as it’s already working on its next battery in a new partnership with SolidEnergy Systems.
SolidEnergy Systems is a small company that’s spun off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that focuses on making new battery chemistry that can hold energy longer than traditional batteries used today.
As part of the deal, the two companies will build a test production line in Woburn, Massachusetts to make a high-capacity battery by 2023.
GM told CNBC that the Ultium Battery module was actually built with changes like this in mind. The company hopes that it can develop smaller batteries and just swap them into the Ultium platform to increase its fleet’s range.
GM hasn’t shared how much it’s investing in the partnership. However, it expects this to reduce the cost of battery tech for the company by as much as 60 percent, according to CNBC.
We likely won’t see the fruits of this partnership for a few years, but more immediately, GM will start shipping the GMC Hummer truck EV with the first generation of Ultium Battery to really prove what the legacy automaker is capable of.
Source: CNBC