Toronto, Ontario — General Motors has big plans for its Ultium batteries. The automaker said once it’s Ultium battery/electric powered-motor is unveiled, it will have a range of 724 kilometres.
The battery’s impressive range can be attributed to the fact that the automaker was able to reduce the weight of the battery by 25 percent, and on top of that they were able to lower the volume of the battery, according to reporting from Driving.ca.
Fiona Meyer-Teruel, the Ultium division’s battery electronics and communications systems lead, told Driving.ca, these reductions “extend charging range by creating lighter vehicles overall and opening extra room for more batteries.”
The company was able to reduce the weight and size of the batteries by using a Wireless Battery Management System (wBMS). By incorporating this technology, the batteries don’t need the heavy wiring that’s used in most electric batteries. Additionally, the wireless technology allows for the company to make over-the-air updates a lot easier.
GM says in the future the whole system could be upgraded, similar to the way in which smartphones do.
“Our team accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future,” said Mary Barra, GM Chair and CEO, in a release. “What we have done is build a multi-brand, multi-segment EV strategy with economies of scale that rivals our full-size truck business with much less complexity and even more flexibility.”
