General Motors has announced it will begin to produce the new battery systems for the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV in-house, effectively bringing all of their battery building operations under one roof at its battery assembly facility in Brownstown, Michigan.
The newly designed battery system has an overall storage capacity of 19 kWh thanks to 192 lithium-ion cells and is about 86 pounds lighter than the battery in the 2014 Spark EV. The cells are the only part of the pack which won’t made in-house by GM, they will instead be manufactured by LG Chem at their Holland, Michigan facility. Â The batteries will be assembled alongside the complete battery packs for the Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera and Cadillac ELR extended-range EVs at the Brownstown facility.
“Using our in-house engineering and manufacturing expertise enabled us to deliver a battery system that is more efficient and lighter than the 2014 Spark EV without sacrificing range,” said Larry Nitz, executive director of GM global transmission and electrification engineering. “Our successful working relationship with LG Chem has allowed us to deliver a new battery system for the Spark EV that helps us to better leverage our economies of scale.”
GM says changes to the battery design will not have an effect on the electric Spark’s range or performance. MPGe is expected to remain the same at about 119 and range will also remain at an EPA-rated 82 miles. As of this writing, it is expected to remain on sale only in California and Oregon.
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