General Motors partnered with lithium metal battery innovator SolidEnergy Systems, MIT spinout, to develop next-generation electric vehicle batteries that would cut the cost of technology by 60%, GM President Mark Reuss shared at a Washington Post Live virtual conference on Thursday.
"Affordability and range are two major barriers to mass EV adoption. With this next-generation Ultium chemistry, we believe we're on the cusp of a once-in-a-generation improvement in energy density and cost. There's even more room to improve in both categories, and we intend to innovate faster than any other company in this space," Reuss said.
The initial prototype batteries have already demonstrated great potential as they've been tested in over 150,000 mile simulated drives at GM's Global Technical Center research lab in Michigan. GM is also working with innovative companies on production plans to scale up the manufacturing.