Chevy Silverado EV Driveline Uses 45 Percent Fewer Part Numbers Than ICE Silverado
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GM’s switch to an all-electric portfolio brings with it several notable benefits, not the least of which is a considerable reduction in vehicle complexity with regard to the average number of driveline parts. In fact, according to Executive Vice President of Global Product Development Doug Parks, the Chevy Silverado EV driveline uses on average 45 percent fewer part numbers than the driveline of an equivalent ICE-powered Chevy Silverado.
During the recent GM Investor Day event held November 17th, Parks addressed how GM’s Ultium battery technology and Ultium drive motor technology help to reduce complexity and costs for the automaker. According to Parks, GM electric vehicles use a fraction of the parts required for its ICE portfolio. “Even when we have multiple Ultium-based variants in North America by mid-decade, this reduced complexity will allow us to use a quarter of the battery pack and drive unit combinations compared to ICE.” With regard to the Chevy Silverado EV specifically, the new all-electric pickup uses 45 percent fewer driveline part numbers than an equivalent ICE-powered Chevy Silverado.
As a result of this rather significant reduction in complexity, models like the Chevy Silverado EV can represent big savings for GM, including engineering costs, development costs, production costs, maintenance costs, and more. For example, electric vehicle development times are cut significantly compared to ICE vehicles, with an average reduction of 95 weeks of development time per vehicle, using 25 percent fewer part numbers.
“Can you imagine 45 percent less parts to design, validate, tool, build? This complexity reduction is important as it reduces our costs significantly,” Parks told investors during a presentation.
No doubt this reduction in complexity helped in bringing the new BrightDrop Zevo 600 all-electric commercial delivery van to market. As GM Authority covered previously, the BrightDrop Zevo 600 is the fastest-built vehicle in General Motors’ history with regard to development from concept to commercialization, taking a mere 20 months to get to market. The EV600 incorporates GM’s Ultium platform and was developed using the same virtual processes implemented with the new GMC Hummer EV.
Going forward, GM hopes to launch 30 new EV models by the 2025 calendar year, a goal which looks far more reasonable given the significant reduction in driveline complexity offered by all-electric vehicles.
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And less hourly employees to install those parts.
And yet, they still cost considerably more. Weird.
Where is the savings when having to speed billions of dollars to make it happen?
Ford redesigns the Lightning to be full EV in 2025-2026.
BS. The number of individual cells in the battery alone exceeds the amount of driveline parts. Ditto with each motor coil.
The only different is that GM is paying LG chem to make these, so sure, while GM can fire employees, their paying at least double, and by the looks of more to the rate of triple for these components. It’s just outsourcing.
More propaganda trying to make investors feel comfortable about the move the mob is making GM take, and GM is acquiescing.
Even their biggest battery pack only uses about 500-540 cells, if you are wanting to count cells, but each cell is identical, a single part number, easy to mass produce. Notice the quote is about reduced “part numbers” not “number of parts”.
But regardless, typical ice has 200-300 parts, automatic transmission maybe 800 parts. Add AWD/4WD to the driveline and you got all additional parts in the transfer case and both differentials, and the drive shaft and related components connecting the front and back.
For an EV that gets reduced as the front motor and rear motor are not connected and have simple drive reduction gear sets.
Evidently you’ve never rebuilt and engine or transmission….. it’s way less than that, by about half. And IDK if you have ever seen a 5.3 being built….. is insanely automated. 1/4 the line workers are actually inspectors.
Also don’t forget the battery cells have an anode/cathode/membrane wall/leads and protective shell. And now the battery has its frame, cooling lines, wire harness, shell, fasteners. If your going to count every fastener on the ICE, it’s only fair to count every wire and fastener on the battery. And by that point, just the battery has the ICE powertrains outnumbered by at least 3-1 before adding the eletric motor, drive unit, cooling system and transaxle
I did a summer with a Chevy Thunder Off-Road truck team and helped rebuild the Automatic Transmissions between races to replace the clutch packs. I also worked as a tooling intern at the GM automatic transmission factory in Michigan for a couple summers. There are a lot of gears and small parts such the valve bodies that control the shifting in an automatic transmission and torque converter.
The real reason they are forcing this.
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Looks like a warmed over version of a Honda Ridgeline. Unimpressed! Body repair would be astronomical due to one piece design.
The future is going to be very different.
I pointed this out a long time ago, the new cars will be many less parts, much shorter assembly lines and many less line workers building.
This was clear from the start.
Most of the labor loss will be though retirement over time.
Ford just stated this week it will take 45% less labor to build EV.
Honestly the automakers would remain ICE if not for the harsh regulations on mpg and emissions.
While they will save on parts and labor they are paying a heavy price in development cost. They will get it back in the future but it will take a long while.
On the other hand ICE cars went from easy to build and very cheap to build V8 engines to very expensive and complex 3/4 cylinder Turbocharged engines on FWD platforms that get more expensive to build.
Because of the changes even the cost savings will not save some mfgs. They will merge, partner or fold.
You know the price of the change is high when Honda lets GM build some of their cars.
So before you think the automakers are getting a better deal they have a big upfront price to pay to get there. This is still all on these global groups pushing emissions as a way to upset economic s as we know them.
Just look at the billions Biden is giving as reparations to the third world countries for out emissions while China and India get off because they are claimed to be developing nations?
This is all going to a one world government. Ale the strong weak is the only way.
At the same time I feel that new aide ford is planning to sell 45% less cars as forced mass transit takes hood here as it has in Europe…..
But westerners don’t take being told what to do lightly. Free enterprise has a way of beating the odds. Ford is free to loose 45% of sales to Korean brands who still sell ICE models to states like Texas and Florida, and providences like Alberta. There is increased talk about challenging the constitutional legality of the interstate commerce clause, which would neuter the EPA and OSHA. I agree 100% that the future will be different, but I think neither you nor I can guess what that will look like, and I think we’re both way closer than the futurists in the WEF/COP24.
Sorry but the delusional thinking no longer applies.
We were sold out and continue to be sold out and with companies spending billions they are not going back.
FYI your Korean brands are all set for an electric future be it Alberta, Texas or BF Egypt.
The boat has sailed and too much of the public is buying into it.
GM will fail as they’ve done before.
Well some people said they failed making the light bulb failed 999 times. Thomas Edison said no I showed how many ways it doesn’t work. And 1 of the many ways it does. So while you say oh look Gm failed again, I say look how many times they got knocked down and still got up.
Failed quality, one of the reasons gm has gone from having 50% of the US market in the 60’s to less than 17% today.
Increased cheaper competition had as much to do with it.
Add in very poor management to adjust with the times.
Lemmings.
The article title says 45% less part numbers for the EV Silverado vs the ICE version. While this is probably true, this can be achieved in any system by simply consolidating individual parts into sub-assemblies (outsourced) to go from multiple part numbers to just one at the assembly plant. Secondly, just because there are 45% less part numbers in a system does not mean that the total cost of the system is less, that depends on the total cost of all the parts required in each respective system. (i.e. one battery part number (EV energy storage system) vs 50 part numbers for a fuel tank system (ICE energy storage system), the battery would be the far greater cost). Mr. Parks is doing his job and trying to minimize investor fears over the growing cost of EV battery and motor raw materials. Automakers and the government know that these material costs will grow rapidly as EV volumes grow and increase demand for these materials. The existing supply chain will not have sufficient capacity due to lack of infrastructure, environmental rules, and international politics. This will drive prices much higher until the next step in technology that reduces the requirement for these expensive materials.
“average 45 percent fewer part numbers than the driveline of an equivalent ICE-powered Chevy Silverado.”
It reads “part numbers” and “drive line” probably refers to sub assemble part numbers for final assemble. Do you count one electrical motor or one V8 as one assemble number? For sure one transmission is not needed.
EV’s all have gear reduction, and one for each motor, so the transmission argument is out the window. Some concepts feature 2speed actual transmissions to increase low speed torque without loosing high speed driving.
A couple simple gear reduction boxes are a lot simpler with fewer parts than a 4×4 driveline with automatic transmission, transfer case, and differentials.
I don’t buy that for an instant. the front and rear motors (2-3) depending on configuration still have gears and individual shafts. to each wheel the suspension being independent definitely adds complexity while reducing capability. you still have all the creature comforts to cover inside the cabin, so it is a wash there, the battery requires a cooling system, so a wash, but also maybe more complex since it requires electric pumps. The Transmission is replaced by an electricity controller AKA a transmission. outside of not being able to control the 4 wheel drive system with locking diffs or even an actual transfer case it seems like the number part numbers is in fact due to so much of it being one big assembly. Think about 20 year old belt and pulley brackets versus the one piece stuff that comes on LS motors these days. and of course none of it matters if the fewer parts still cost tons more to buy and cannot be fixed outside of a Stealership.
Does anyone know if the individual battery components are interchangeable between different types of vehicles? Just curious.
Fewer parks ok. On a related story that is starting to surface concerning “computer controlled” all wheel drive and four wheel drive vehicles. What story? That if you own an “all wheel drive” vehicle especially made in the past 5 years … and have to replace a tire, get ready to buy a whole set of tires. Why? The vehicle’s computers can’t distinguish the fact that the new tire has more traction for some reason. Bottom line, the vehicle’s computers that monitor all wheel drive put more traction on the remaining 3 “older higher mileage tires” and are causing failures to the all wheel drive parts an electronics. Have seen the story on several websites after “Scotty” on youtube did a 10 minute video. We were about to take delivery on a new vehicle and I point blank asked the service shop manager if this was true, got a rather an unexpected yes from him, and it’s a problem being seen from everyone not just the dealer I was at. I thanked him for his honesty,so no new all wheel drive for us. In case you’re wondering about the expensive repairs started after about 3,000 miles on all wheel drive, it does show up on regular 4WD like a Jeep for instance after about 10,000 ,,, but it does show up. And to be fair to all, won’t mention the brand we were looking at, and it wasn’t a vehicle from Jeep.
Are these EVs or ICE vehicles?
Both, they build things that create more problems without thinking for a minute … how will this decision impact the owner’s finances.
There may be less parts but when the part breaks, the cost will be exponentially higher.
Let’s see if gm can deliver quality parts with 45% less of them. Their current model V-8s are not high quality.
LOL, what? The LS/LT V8’s are some of the best ever made.
not by a long shot. Environmental BS has made them quite unreliable. Now that Standalone computers and AFM/DOD lifters are being forced off the market, this will only get worse. I just watched a coworker with 80k on the 2018 Silverado clock barely make it to Toyota to be traded in. I could hear it running on 4 cylinders for weeks and warned him. the dreaded tick started on the way to the dealer. This is a known issue and too few seem to escape it.
Doesn’t sound like the savings will be passed to the consumer with GMC making a reasonable profit as opposed to being greedy.
Harsh regulations on mpg and emissions? Thank you, Joe Biden. The current administration continues to force Americans to accept things they don’t really want by reducing or eliminating choices, and I don’t mean vehicles only. For one, I’m getting really tired of being told what I want.
Want to figure out how much it will cost to replace your EV battery? Multiply your current battery kWh by 150. 150 in dollars is roughly (depending on where you read its $120-$150) the going average. Now that figure you get is roughly the cost of just the battery. Figure in another $1K-$1,200 for parts and labor and that’s about you can expect to pay.
I hit the link this morning and scrolled down to see the response on my reply yesterday and was trying to read what people had said and as soon as I touched the thumbs up it cleared off all of the replies that other people had put in. Just wanted to clear that up.
Hey GM, ’tis a fine electric avalanche you have there, but sure it is no Silverado. As a residential remodeler, the standard cab 8′ bed is king. With a steel over the cab rack I can haul 24′ pump staging and picks, have a toolbox behind the cab (yes I know about the frunk), fit 10 sheets of 3/4 ply in the bed, close the tailgate, and not to worry about having the back of the cab open when it’s 20 degrees while I’m doing 65mph.
Seriously, the back half of the electric Silverado is useless to anyone who actually needs a truck.