General Motors‘ new joint venture battery company, which it has formed alongside South Korean supplier LG Chem, will be called Ultium Cells LLC.
GM revealed last year that its new battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio would be owned by a joint venture company it had formed with LG Chem, but did not say what the company would be called. A previous report published earlier this year indicated the joint venture would be called GigaPower LLC, but it has now decided on Ultium Cells LLC instead. Ultium is the name given to GM’s new line of advanced lithium-ion batteries, which will power future EVs like the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq.
“Ultium Cells LLC is the name of the General Motors and LG Chem joint venture for cell manufacturing,” the company said in a statement released this week. “Construction has started with ground prep activities for the future site of the Ultium battery cell manufacturing facility in Lordstown.”
GM also confirmed that it has continued to develop its EV portfolio amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said the production timing remains on track for its future EVs.
“During the pandemic, product development work on GM’s future EV and AV portfolios continues to progress at a rapid pace,” the statement also said. “The Cruise Origin was revealed in San Francisco earlier this year, and production timing remains on track for the yet-to-be-revealed Cadillac Lyriq and GMC HUMMER EV, all powered by the Ultium battery system.”
The new Lordstown battery plant sits on a 158-acre plot of land just outside of Lordstown. The plant, which will mass-produce battery cells only, is expected to open in January of 2022. The Ultium battery packs use a GM design and feature densely packed lithium-ion cells provided by LG Chem.
“Combining our manufacturing expertise with LG Chem’s leading battery-cell technology will help accelerate our pursuit of an all-electric future,” GM CEO Mary Barra said in a statement released last year. “We look forward to collaborating with LG Chem on future cell technologies that will continue to improve the value we deliver to our customers.”
In addition to appearing in future GM EVs, Ultium batteries will also be used in future Honda electric vehicles. Ultium cells will range in size from 50 kWh to 200 kWh, with the 200 kWh battery pack enabling certain future GM EVs to travel up to 400 miles on a single charge.
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Comments
The only thing I want to know is will this Plant be fully staffed with UAW Workers. Very interested to see how this plays out.
Mary wanted to go with Mexico
hola buenas muy buena inversion en la planta de baterias de litio eso es hacer futuro , los chinos se han convertido en enemigos de medio mundo a china hay que cortarle la tecnologia para que aprendan a ser mas personas un saludo