So it looks like General Motors may be in an effort to capitalize on the post auto show news doldrums even though there wasn't an auto show, but I digress, decided to show off its new plan for World dominate.
I'm sorry for its increasingly electric future by debuting its new altium battery technology to the automotive press.
Altium makes big promises, as does GM third generation EV architecture.
But will they be enough to keep the general out of the dustbin of history when compared to rivals like Tesla?
That's the subject of this episode of autocomplete.
Now I suppose we should first start by explaining exactly what Jim's altium battery technology is.
And mostly it boils down to a new pack architecture based on large pouch type cells and a new battery chemistry developed in conjunction with LG Can that dramatically reduces the amount of cobalt necessary for cell production What are the advantages that this tech offers?
Well, first, producing the amount of rare earth minerals necessary for battery cell production, means that the cells themselves should be cheaper to produce.
And production should in theory anyway Way, the less constrained by said minerals availability due to geopolitical tension or other market fluctuations.
The pack architecture change offers GM a lot of flexibility and how it fits battery packs into future EBS.
It's not stuck with the same kind of uniform shape made necessary by cylindrical battery cells, aka Tesla.
It configure its pouch cells, even vertically To take advantage of unused space inside of a vehicle instead of building a vehicle around a skateboard style chassis.
GM plans to take this flexibility and create upwards of 19 different pack shapes and capacities with it, Now, the general looks at this as a positive and in many ways I suppose it can be less constrained by design, but also it seemingly adds a great deal of complexity to the whole manufacturing process and also down the line.
As far as specs go, the GM altium batteries are being touted as offering up to 400 miles of range in some cases.
Something that is no mean feat by today's standards.
They're also capable of storing between 50 and 200 kilowatt hours of energy, because GM is building battery management into the cells themselves.
The pack will also feature 80% less wire Then the units in Chevy's current bolt Evie.
Also note is that while the Gendry cars will offer 400 volt packs and support for 200 kilowatt DC fast charging, the gen three truck platforms will up that voltage to 800 And allow for 350 kilowatt fast charging.
GM also claims that its Gen three vehicle will be able to cover up to 100 miles of range during a 10 minute fast charge which is not bad.
So, will always be enough to keep General Motors in the game and perhaps take it to the forefront of large scale affordable EV production here in the US.
It's tough to say.
But if it can deliver on all its promises, and if people are willing to buy into the idea of, say, an electric Hummer, truck or SUV, then maybe it'll just pan out for the folks out there in Detroit.
That's it for this episode of Autocomplete.
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I've been Kyle Hyatt, you've been excellent, and we'll be back at you next week with another deep dive on a different automotive subject, cheers.
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