Engineering:Ultium

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Short description: EV battery and motor architecture
Ultium architecture at Shenzhen Auto Show (June 2023), showing flat, underfloor battery module (between the wheels) and front and rear Ultium Drive units.

Ultium is an electric vehicle battery and motor architecture developed by General Motors.[1] It is being deployed for battery electric vehicles from General Motors portfolio brands along with vehicles from Honda[2] and Acura.[3]

Ultium is characterized by a modular layout, using an Ultium battery to supply power to one or two Ultium Drive unit(s) using a common set of power electronics (charging, battery management system, and inverter). The high-voltage battery is composed of pouch cells that can be stacked horizontally or vertically, depending on the form factor appropriate for each vehicle, generally carried between the axles and under the floor. The traction motor(s), reduction gear, and power electronics are combined into a single Ultium Drive unit that drives the front, rear, or both axles. Three electric motor designs, sharing a common stator, are used across all planned vehicles/types.[4][5] Ultium is used by GM's BEV3 and BT1 platforms.[6]

History

General Motors revealed the Ultium battery and platform technologies during a week-long March 2020 event held at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan;[7] GM chairwoman and CEO Mary Barra called it "a multi-brand, multi-segment EV strategy with economies of scale that rival our full-size truck business with much less complexity and even more flexibility".[8] The Ultium Drive branding was applied six months later in September 2020, referring to electric vehicle drivetrain components exclusive of the batteries, such as the traction motors and power electronics.[9]

GM announced in June 2021 it would collaborate with Wabtec to provide Ultium battery modules for zero-emission heavy-haul locomotives, including the FLXDrive.[10]

In 2022, the US Army selected GM Defense to demonstrate an electric military vehicle, using the GMC Hummer EV pickup. In September, GM Defense was chosen to build a heavy-duty pack to power electric military vehicles.[11]

Design

Ultium Drive

Ultium vehicles are powered by a family of five interchangeable drive units and three electric traction motors, known collectively as "Ultium Drive".[5]

Planned motors include:[12]

  • A 180 kW (245 PS; 241 hp) front-drive permanent magnet motor
  • A 255 kW (347 PS; 342 hp) front-drive or rear-drive permanent magnet motor
  • A 62 kW (84 PS; 83 hp) all-wheel drive assist induction motor

The motors are suitable for front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. For example, the GMC Hummer EV prototype shown in March 2020 has full-time all-wheel drive and is equipped with three 255 kW (342 hp) motors, one driving the front axle and the other two driving the rear wheels.[7] The two drive units provide reduction ratios of 13.3:1 and 10.5:1 for the front and rear wheels, respectively.[13] The three traction motor types are oil-cooled and share a common stator design.[14]

The drive units are single-speed reduction gearboxes with integrated drivetrain electronic control modules that accept one or more traction motors and provide power to the wheels. These modules, sometimes called power electronics, include the traction power inverter, onboard charging module, and accessory power module;[15] drive unit integration of these modules results in a combined mass that is half that of the equivalent components of the Chevrolet Bolt EV.[16][17]

Ultium battery

Ultium battery cells feature nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NCMA) chemistry, and will be manufactured by Ultium Cells LLC, a joint-venture of GM and LG Energy Solution as large format pouch cells.[18] Battery materials will be supplied by LG Chem and POSCO Chemical (cathode active materials) and Livent (lithium hydroxide).[19][20]

In China, Ultium-branded battery cells use nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) chemistry and are manufactured by CATL with cylindrical packaging.[21] With the announcement of the joint venture with Samsung SDI for the fourth US battery plant in April 2023, prismatic and cylindrical Ultium battery cells will be produced domestically.[22]

Specifications

Each Ultium pouch cell measures approximately 23 by 4 by 0.4 in (584 by 102 by 10 mm) and weighs 3.0 lb (1.36 kg), capable of storing 0.37 kWh;[23] the nominal voltage is 3.7 V and it is rated at 103 Ah. The gravimetric energy density of each cell is 127 Wh/lb (280 Wh/kg); the corresponding volumetric energy density is 10.4 Wh/in3 (630 Wh/L). It has a 10-second gravimetric power density of 952 W/kg.[24] For example, the total weight of the 24-module, 576-cell battery for the Hummer EV, with 212.7 kWh usable storage capacity, is 2,923 lb (1,326 kg).[25] Pouches may be oriented horizontally or vertically, affording packaging flexibility.[23]

Ultium features a wireless battery management system (wBMS), the first such architecture from any automaker.[26] The wBMS was developed in partnership with Analog Devices and contributes to reduced battery costs, as it requires 90% less wiring and reduces volume by 15%.[27]

In late January 2023, it was reported that GM was considering switching to batteries in a cylindrical cell format. This move would reduce volumetric energy density, but could reduce production time and costs.[28]

Assembly

GM announced that cells can be composed to modules in various configurations and showcased three scenarios:[29]

  • 24 cells vertically stacked, or
  • 20 cells: 10+10 cells next to each other, each pile horizontally stacked (to reduce module width), or
  • 12 cells: 6+6 cells next to each other, each pile horizontally stacked (to reduce module width and height).

This way, multiple module sizes are possible, which could be mixed and matched for a certain application and platform.

In case 24 cells are combined into a module, and a battery pack is made from 6 to 24 equal modules, then 144 to 576 cells are combined into a pack with a capacity ranging from 50 to 200 kWh.[23] GM claims that they can survive repeated DC fast charging.[23]

For the GMC Hummer EV, there are two layers. At each layer, 12 modules are wired in series, creating a 400 V, 100 kWh battery layer; these two layers are then stacked and wired in parallel, yielding 200 kWh storage capacity for electric motors at the 400V level.[23] For charging at 800V DC fast charging stations however, the two layers can be temporarily switched to be wired in series, allowing for DC fast charging at up to 800 V and 350 kW.[23]

Cost

In 2010, the cost of the 16 kWh battery in the Chevrolet Volt was estimated at US$1,000 (equivalent to $1,200 in 2019) per kilowatt-hour.[23] With Ultium, GM estimates the cost will be reduced by 90% to approximately $100/kWh.[23] This also is a significant reduction compared to the 60 kWh battery in the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which was priced at approximately $262/kWh in 2017,[30] although GM had negotiated a significantly lower price of $145/kWh from its supplier, LG Chem.[31] Part of the cost reduction results from the novel chemistry, which has 70% less cobalt than the Bolt's battery.[23] In addition, labor costs are reduced because the wiring in each battery pack has been reduced by 88% compared to the Bolt due to the wireless battery management system.[32]

Production

Four production facilities were planned as of 2021;[33] they have since been announced as:

  • Ultium Cells LLC – Lordstown, Ohio, USA (Opened Sept. 2022,[34] 35GWh per year capacity)[35]
  • Ultium Cells LLC – Spring Hill, Tennessee, USA (Opening late 2023, 50GWh per year capacity)[36][37]
  • Ultium Cells LLC – Lansing, Michigan, USA (Opening late-2024, 50GWh per year capacity)[38]
  • GM/Samsung SDI joint venture – New Carlisle, Indiana, USA (Opening 2026, >30GWh per year capacity).[39][40]

GM also opened an Ultium Center factory in October 2021 in Shanghai, which produces batteries and traction motors for EVs produced and sold in China.[41] In 2022, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) provided a $2.5 billion loan to Ultium Cells to assist in the construction of the three announced plants in the US. It is the first loan from DOE to a battery cell producer under the DOE's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program.[18]

In January 2023, GM and LG paused plans to build the fourth battery plant in the United States after having selected the Indiana site the previous August,[42] with GM seeking a new joint venture partner.[43] Later that year, Samsung SDI announced it was entering a joint venture with GM, and the fourth plant would proceed at the Indiana site.[44] Lower than expected Ultium battery cell production caused GM to idle production of BrightDrop Zevo vans in July 2023.[45]

Vehicles using Ultium

Current
Planned

See also

References

  1. ↑ "New Electric Vehicle Battery Technology | General Motors" (in en). https://www.gm.com/content/public/us/en/gm/home/stories/ultium-platform-reveal.html. 
  2. ↑ "2024 Honda Prologue is new electric crossover based on GM's Ultium platform" (in en). https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1132733_2024-honda-prologue-is-new-electric-crossover-based-on-gm-s-ultium-platform. 
  3. ↑ "GM's Ultium-Based Honda And Acura Confirmed" (in en). https://insideevs.com/news/503177/gm-ultium-honda-acura-2024/. 
  4. ↑ "GM Reveals New Ultium Batteries and a Flexible Global Platform to Rapidly Grow its EV Portfolio" (in en). March 4, 2020. https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2020/mar/0304-ev.html. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Ultium Drive to Help Power GM's All-Electric Future". media.gm.com (Press release). September 16, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  6. ↑ LaReau, Jamie L.. "GM unveils 11 future EVs, new batteries and its plan to beat Tesla" (in en). https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2020/03/04/gm-unveils-10-future-evs-new-batteries-and-its-plan-beat-tesla/4905906002/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cole, Craig (March 5, 2020). "GM reveals new EV platform and 'Ultium' battery to help hunt Tesla". Road/Show (CNet). https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/general-motors-chevy-buick-gmc-hummer-cadillac-electric-vehicles/. 
  8. ↑ "GM Reveals New Ultium Batteries and a Flexible Global Platform to Rapidly Grow its EV Portfolio" (Press release). General Motors. March 4, 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  9. ↑ Halvorson, Bengt (September 16, 2020). "GM Ultium Drive, Electrify America pricing, Audi fuel-cell stack: Today's Car News". Green Car Reports. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1129632_gm-ultium-drive-electrify-america-pricing-audi-fuel-cell-stack-today-s-car-news. 
  10. ↑ "Wabtec and GM to develop advanced Ultium Battery and HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell solutions for rail industry". Green Car Congress. 16 June 2021. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/06/20210616-wabtecgm.html. 
  11. ↑ Johnson, Peter (2022-10-07). "US Department of Defense embracing electric military vehicles using GM’s Ultium Platform" (in en-US). https://electrek.co/2022/10/07/us-department-of-defense-embracing-electric-military-vehicles/. 
  12. ↑ "GM Reveals All-New EV Motors to Power an All-Electric Future" (in en). September 21, 2021. https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2021/sep/0921-ultium-drive.html. 
  13. ↑ "2022 GMC HUMMER EV Edition 1 first with new Ultium battery architecture; 24-module, dual stack, 350+ miles range". Green Car Congress. 22 October 2020. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/10/20201022-hummerev.html. 
  14. ↑ Halvorson, Bengt (September 22, 2021). "GM details Ultium EV motor family, enabling more range without bigger batteries". Green Car Reports. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1133652_gm-details-ultium-ev-motor-design-a-key-for-more-range-without-bigger-batteries. 
  15. ↑ "GM reveals new Ultium Drive EV motors designed and developed in-house with GM propulsion software". Green Car Congress. 22 September 2021. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2021/09/20210922-gmmotors.html. 
  16. ↑ Halvorson, Bengt (September 16, 2020). "Will GM's Ultium Drive be the small-block V-8 for a generation of EVs?". Green Car Reports. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1129625_will-gm-s-ultium-drive-be-the-small-block-v-8-for-a-generation-of-evs. 
  17. ↑ Hyatt, Kyle (September 23, 2021). "GM debuts its Ultium Drive electric motors". Road/Show (CNet). https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/gm-ultium-drive-electric-motor-debut/. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "DOE announces $2.5B loan to Ultium Cells for three US battery cell manufacturing facilities". Green Car Congress. 13 December 2022. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2022/12/20221213-lpo.html. 
  19. ↑ "GM signs major Li-ion supply chain agreements: CAM with LG Chem and lithium hydroxide with Livent". Green Car Congress. 26 July 2022. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2022/07/20220726-gm.html. 
  20. ↑ "POSCO Chemical, GM in large-scale CAM supply agreement to support EV growth". Green Car Congress. 29 August 2022. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2022/08/20220829-posco.html. 
  21. ↑ Lopez, Jonathan (February 3, 2023). "GM Uses Cylinder Cells In Its Ultium Battery Packs In China". GM Authority. https://gmauthority.com/blog/2023/02/gm-uses-cylinder-cells-in-its-ultium-battery-packs-in-china/. 
  22. ↑ Halvorson, Bengt (April 25, 2023). "$3B GM-Samsung battery plant might enable electric Corvette, Camaro". Green Car Reports. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1139472_3b-gm-samsung-battery-plant-might-enable-electric-corvette-camaro. "The new plant will make 'high-performing, nickel-rich prismatic and cylindrical batteries that will be exclusively supplied for GM's upcoming electric vehicles,' according to the announcement. The form factor would make them markedly different than the very large-format pouch cells GM has in the three plants under development and production with Ultium Cells LLC." 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 23.7 23.8 Vanderwerp, Dave (July 7, 2021). "How GM's Ultium Battery Will Help It Commit to an Electric Future". Car and Driver. https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a36877532/general-motors-ev-ultium-battery-electric-future/. 
  24. ↑ Nigel (2022-06-08). "GM Ultium" (in en-US). https://www.batterydesign.net/gm-ultium/. 
  25. ↑ Hoffman, Connor; Vanderwerp, Dave (February 15, 2022). "2022 GMC Hummer EV EPA Documents Reveal MPGe, Weight, Other Details". Car and Driver. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39049358/2022-gmc-hummer-ev-pickup-epa-specs/. 
  26. ↑ "General Motors' Future Electric Vehicles to Debut Industry's First Wireless Battery Management System" (in en). September 9, 2020. https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2020/sep/0909-wbms.html. 
  27. ↑ Tarantola, A. (April 6, 2021). "GM is betting its electrified future on a revolutionary new battery system". engadget. https://www.engadget.com/gm-is-placing-all-of-its-ev-eggs-in-the-ultum-battery-basket-163038784.html. 
  28. ↑ Lee, Stan (January 25, 2023). "General Motors considering using cylinder batteries over pouch for EVs". TheElec. https://www.thelec.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=4376. 
  29. ↑ "Ultium's Flexible, Unique Battery Cells". https://www.gm.com/stories/ultium-flexible-battery-cells. 
  30. ↑ Voelcker, John (June 9, 2017). "How much is a replacement Chevy Bolt EV electric-car battery?". Green Car Reports. https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110881_how-much-is-a-replacement-chevy-bolt-ev-electric-car-battery. 
  31. ↑ Cole, Jay (October 23, 2015). "LG Chem 'Ticked Off' With GM For Disclosing $145/kWh Battery Cell Pricing – Video". InsideEVs. https://insideevs.com/news/327874/lg-chem-ticked-off-with-gm-for-disclosing-145-kwh-battery-cell-pricing-video/. 
  32. ↑ Gitlin, Jonathan M. (March 4, 2020). "General Motors announces new battery platform, claims $100/kWh soon". Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/03/general-motors-announces-new-battery-platform-claims-100kwh-soon/. 
  33. ↑ "Q2 2021 Letter to Shareholders" (in en). August 4, 2021. https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/socratv/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/emergency_news/2021/shareholders/q2-21-ceo-letter-to-shareholders.html. 
  34. ↑ Kane, Mark (September 1, 2022). "Ultium Cells Begins EV Battery Production In Ohio". Inside EVs. https://insideevs.com/news/607745/ultium-cells-begins-battery-production-ohio/. 
  35. ↑ King, R. J. (April 16, 2021). "GM and LG Energy Announce $2.3B Battery Cell Plant in Tennessee" (in en-US). https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/gm-and-lg-energy-announce-2-3b-battery-cell-plant-in-tennessee/. 
  36. ↑ "LG and General Motors to spend 2.7 trillion won for 2nd factory" (in ko). April 19, 2021. http://thelec.net/news/articleView.html?idxno=2674. 
  37. ↑ "Ultium Cells investing additional $275M to expand Spring Hill plant to 50 GWh". Green Car Congress. 7 December 2022. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2022/12/20221207-ultium.html. 
  38. ↑ Hill, Joshua S. (January 27, 2022). "GM and LG Energy commit $A3.65 billion for third Ultium EV battery plant" (in en-US). https://thedriven.io/2022/01/27/gm-and-lg-energy-commit-a3-65-billion-for-third-ultium-ev-battery-plant/. 
  39. ↑ "Samsung SDI, General Motors Plan to Establish Joint Venture for Battery Manufacturing" (Press release). Samsung SDI. April 26, 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  40. ↑ Brown, Alex (June 13, 2023). "New Carlisle chosen for $3B EV battery plant". Inside Indiana Business. https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/new-carlisle-chosen-for-3b-ev-battery-plant. 
  41. ↑ Centeno, Deivis (October 21, 2021). "GM Inaugurates New Ultium Center Factory In China". GM Authority. https://gmauthority.com/blog/2021/10/gm-inaugurates-new-ultium-center-factory-in-china/. 
  42. ↑ Hall, Kalea (August 18, 2022). "GM considering Indiana town for fourth battery plant". The Detroit News. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/general-motors/2022/08/18/gm-new-carlisle-indiana-fourth-battery-plant/7833539001/. 
  43. ↑ Wayland, Michael (January 20, 2023). "GM, LG end plans for fourth U.S. battery cell plant as automaker seeks new partner". CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/20/gm-lg-indefinitely-shelve-plans-for-fourth-us-battery-cell-plant.html. 
  44. ↑ "GM, Samsung SDI teaming to build more than $3B EV battery cell plant in Indiana". AP News. June 13, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/general-motors-samsung-indiana-battery-ev-e83b133bea67ad5ae715d5be9d0acf96. 
  45. ↑ Gitlin, Jonathan M. (July 18, 2023). "Battery shortage forces GM to pause commercial EV production". Ars Technica. https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/07/battery-shortage-forces-gm-to-pause-commercial-ev-production/. 
  46. ↑ Pritchard, Justin (June 8, 2022). "Deep Dive: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV's Ultium platform". Driving (Canada). https://driving.ca/features/feature-story/deep-dive-2023-chevrolet-silverado-evs-ultium-platform. 
  47. ↑ Bell, Lucas (July 19, 2022). "The Chevy Blazer EV Takes Ultium Mainstream With 320 Mile Range at $47,595". Road & Track. https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a40644172/2024-chevy-blazer-ev/. 
  48. ↑ Feijter, Tycho de (2023-01-12). "Buick Electra E4 Proves That GM Can Make Attractive Compact EVs" (in en-US). https://carnewschina.com/2023/01/12/buick-electra-e4-proves-that-gm-can-make-attractive-compact-evs/. 
  49. ↑ "All-Electric 2024 Acura ZDX And ZDX Type S Make Dramatic Global Debut; Arriving Early Next Year". 2023-08-17. https://www.acura.com/news-and-press/press-release-detail?article=release-5003aaa39c009393f5d06d620f0798ce-all-electric-2024-acura-zdx-and-zdx-type-s-make-dramatic-global-debut-arriving-early-next-year&category=GeneralNewsRss. 
  50. ↑ "Site Maintenance". https://www.gobrightdrop.com/newsroom/brightdrop-launches-zevos-mexico. 
  51. ↑ "Site Maintenance". https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/cadillac/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2023/jun/0620-escaladeiq.html. 
  52. ↑ "Site Maintenance". https://media.cadillac.com/media/us/en/cadillac/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2023/nov/1117-optiq.html. 
  53. ↑ "Site Maintenance". https://media.cadillac.com/media/us/en/cadillac/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2023/dec/1214-vistiq.html. 
  54. ↑ "Site Maintenance". https://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2023/jul/0725-chevrolet.html. 
  55. ↑ "Site Maintenance". https://media.chevrolet.com/media/us/en/chevrolet/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2022/sep/0908-equinoxev-reveal.html. 
  56. ↑ "Site Maintenance". https://media.gmc.com/media/us/en/gmc/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2022/oct/1020-sierra-ev.html. 
  57. ↑ "Stylish, Sporty, Spacious and All-Electric: Honda Prologue SUV Available Early Next Year with Anticipated EPA Range Rating of 300 Miles" (in en). 2023-09-28. http://hondanews.com/en-US/honda-automobiles/releases/stylish-sporty-spacious-and-all-electric-honda-prologue-suv-available-early-next-year-with-anticipated-epa-range-rating-of-300-miles. 



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