General Motors has announced a significant uptick in production of its Ultium battery modules, with CEO Mary Barra pointing to a 300-percent increase over the past six months. The announcement was made during GM’s first-quarter earnings presentation for the 2024 calendar year. This surge in production capacity marks a pivotal development for GM’s electric vehicle (EV) rollout, which had previously been hampered by slower-than-anticipated module production rates. GM aims to double its current battery production capacity by the end of the summer.
Back in January, GM Authority covered a constraint in GM Ultium EV production which resulted from issues with an automation equipment supplier. To address the issue, GM sent manufacturing engineering teams to help improve on deliveries. Manual battery module production lines were also added to several EV assembly plants, including Factory Zero in Detroit, Spring Hill in Tennessee, Ramos Arizpe in Mexico, and CAMI in Canada. This expansion directly supports onsite battery module assembly at critical EV production facilities, streamlining the process and improving efficiency.
These actions have evidently paid off, enabling a rapid scale-up in production capacity. The battery cells, essential components of these modules, are supplied from Ultium Cells plants in Ohio and Tennessee.
The increased module production not only supports GM’s existing EV lineup, including models like the Cadillac Lyriq, but also sets the stage for upcoming vehicles such as the Chevy Equinox EV crossover and battery-powered pickups like the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV.
“Improving module availability is enabling higher vehicle production , which we believe will help us win even more new customers in the growing U.S. EV market,” Barra writes in her Q1 2024 letter to shareholders.
“As we continue to strengthen our ICE portfolio, scale EVs and reinvest in the business, we are very focused on capital efficiency, enhancing profitability and free cash flow, and we will continue to take steps to create shareholder value,” she adds.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more GM electric vehicle news, GM technology news, GM business news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comment
Increasing Bright Drop will be a huge advantage. No one else can produce large Electric commercial trucks in a huge volume.