Tesla has been dominating practically all aspects as far as the electric vehicle market is concerned although there is room for improvement. One concern of consumers is the distance or longevity of use an EV plugin has. So far, the best vehicle Tesla has had to offer is one that can reach up to 390 miles. The battery used has been improving but alongside that comes the cost of producing one.
Now, it appears General Motors has upped the stakes. It would not be surprising to find out that the automaker may have used that deficiency and worked on something to capture a piece of the market. It seems they have done just that, announcing that they now have a new electric car battery that offers up to 400 miles of range. Even better, it will be cheaper to produce compared to today's batteries, CNN reported.
Though they have their share of customers, it remains that the first thing that comes to mind each time an electric vehicle is mentioned would be Tesla. To move up without having to sacrifice a lot, longer drives without added costs could just sway the tide in GM's favor. The new battery cells will reportedly be used in select new fully electric models such as the Cruise Origin and a future Cadillac luxury SUV. Looking beyond its vehicle line, General Motors is also planning to license its battery technology to other companies.
"GM is building toward an all-electric future because we believe climate change is real," GM CEO Mary Barra said. "We want to put everyone in an EV, and we have what it takes to do it."
The new GM batteries are named Ulitium which come in the form of soft, flat pouches. Ideally, pouch cells have to be a line up in horizontal rows with the pouches standing on edge like books in a bookshelf. The Ultium cells can be used that way or they can be stacked up vertically with the pouches laying on their sides. This feature gives car designers added flexibility with battery packs coming in a variety of shapes.
It should be noted that General Motors did not take a swipe at Tesla. But considering the distance Tesla vehicle can reach has been a long-standing issue, critics would not be surprised if it was indeed a proverbial jab. For now, it will be interesting if this new revelation will boost the stock of GM in the EV segment. Tesla continues to be the leading electric vehicle maker but General Motors may have just taken a big step to offer them some real competition.
