General Motors Successfully Exceeds In Produceing Most EV Battery Cells

Chevrolet Equinox EV. (Doc. General Motors)

JAKARTA - Automotive manufacturers in the world are currently competing to design the latest battery innovations for their future electric vehicles.

For example, BYD now has a battery called 'Blade' which is developed independently by the automotive manufacturer. It is used in environmentally friendly vehicles such as Electric Vehicle (EV) and Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV).

Other auto giants such as Toyota have also produced EV batteries in Japan and expanded them overseas, including in North Carolina, United States (US).

Well, General Motors (GM) does not want to lose in creating batteries for its electric vehicles. This automotive company from the United States (US) is said to produce more battery cells than its competitors such as Tesla.

Bloomberg reported and quoted from InsideEVs, Thursday, April 17, the GM's Ultium Cells battery factory located on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, United States (US) has stretched an area of five football fields and can operate for a day and a full week.

According to the report, this $2.3 billion facility can produce 5,000 complete battery cells every hour.

Other facilities such as in Lordstown, Ohio, USA also play a role in mass producing EV batteries. The two factories are the result of a collaboration between GM and a well-known battery company, namely LG Energy Solution.

The two companies are working together in producing electric vehicles in the US, such as Chevrolet Equinox EV and Cadillac Lyriq.

Massive production of battery cells after GM decided to cut battery costs by 60 US dollars (Rp1 million) per kWh last year. Then this year, the company is targeting another 30 US dollars (Rp504 thousand) reduction by increasing production.

If this step is successful, GM will achieve a price cut of around 100 US dollars (Rp1.6 million) per kWh or there is an estimated price reduction of 50 percent compared to battery costs in 2023 and has the potential to beat Tesla and other Chinese manufacturers.

By comparison, the average cost per kWh reaches 94 US dollars (Rp 1.5 million). This puts GM at almost the same distance as the electric vehicle market at the most competitive cost in the world.