What was once a novel concept has now become a mainstay of the automotive industry with manufacturers across the world embracing the electric vehicle market. Tesla is now seeing serious competition in this market, with the latest being General Motors’ “EV Day” announcement of their new battery with twice the capacity as Tesla’s.
This new technology under the brand name Ultium will offer battery capacities that range from 50.0 kWh to an astonishing 200.0 kWh. To put that into context, the average battery capacity for many electric vehicles on the road is around 50.0 kWh, with Tesla’s largest battery, used in the Model S and Model X, topping off at 100.0 kWh. While GM’s new 200.0 kWh won’t be going in all of their electric vehicles, it will be strategically used in vehicles that could use an extra dose of power such as their Hummer SUV, Hummer SUT, and Chevrolet pickup. GM estimates this 200.0 kWh battery could give it’s vehicles a range of up to 400 miles on a full charge, charge more than 100 miles in 10 minutes, and accelerate from zero to 60mph in three seconds which could be a game changer in the electric vehicle industry as Tesla’s model 3 is capable of 322 miles on a full charge, recharge of 172 miles in 15 minutes, and acceleration of zero to 60mph in 3.2 seconds.
According to GM, consumers can expect to see these new Ultium batteries in GM brand vehicles by 2021 beginning with the revamped GMC Hummer, Chevrolet Silverado, and all new Cadillac Lyriq, with the goal of having the battery in 20 different models by 2023.
