Kelty also believes it just makes sense to localize production. He pointed out that when consumer electronics with batteries took off, the supply chain developed around the customers in Southeast Asia. The customers, in that case, are the electronics manufacturers. He said the same thing makes sense in the United States.
There might be an inclination to give President Trump and his administration credit for this onshoring initiative, but the company has been working on localizing battery production for years. Even development on the LMR battery technology had been happening long before the current administration took over.
A battery technician at the General Motors Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center takes a chemistry slurry sample.
Credit:
Steve Fecht for General Motors
That research and development of new technologies remains ongoing. In addition to testing battery cells in every known condition on Earth, GM can produce packs in production-ready format on site in Warren, just at a slower pace, to fine-tune the process and ensure a better-quality product. The company is currently working on a facility that will be able to make production-quality batteries at production speeds, so when a new line or a new plant is brought online somewhere else, all the kinks will already have been worked out.
GM’s LMR batteries feel like a logical evolution of the lithium-ion batteries that appear in EVs already. The company now has the facilities to build the highest-quality battery solution that it can. It’s also clear that the company has been working on this for quite some time.
If this all sounds like what Ford announced recently, it is. For its part, Ford says its research is not a lab experiment and that it will appear in vehicles before the end of the decade. While I can’t say who landed on the technology first, it’s clear that GM has a production plan and knows what specific products you’ll see it in to start.
General Motors Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center focuses on advanced technical work for cutting-edge battery technology and prototyping full-size cells.
Credit:
General Motors
If LMR delivers on the promise, we’ll have a battery technology that delivers more range for less money. If there’s one takeaway from talking to the folks working on batteries in Warren, it’s that their guiding star is to make EVs affordable.
Kelty even challenged the room full of reporters. “Can anybody name a reason why you would not buy an EV if it’s price parity with ICE? I’ll argue it,” he said.
Kelty also hinted at some upcoming technology to help GM’s batteries work better in sub-optimal weather conditions, though he wouldn’t comment or elaborate on future products.
We’re still a couple of years away from production, but if General Motors can deliver on the tech, we’ll be one step closer to mainstream adoption.
