GM's Ultium Platform's energy recovery system increases range

26 April 2022, 03:22:14

GM announced a feature standard in its Ultium-based EVs that captures and repurposes waste energy from the battery. Through the Ultium Platform's energy recovery system, this waste energy can increase a vehicle's range, reduce battery energy needed for heating, increase charging speed, and even enable sportier driving.

EV batteries, power electronics, and other propulsion components produce heat. The Ultium Platform can recover and store this waste heat from the Ultium propulsion system. Further, it can also capture and use humidity from both inside and outside the vehicle, including body heat from passengers. The Ultium Platform can then deploy energy stored through the recovery process to heat the cabin more quickly in cold weather than comparable systems found in vehicles with an internal combustion engine.

Ultium's energy recovery capabilities reduce the need to power heating and other functions from energy stored in the battery, which provides GM’s EVs with as much as 10% more range1, potentially allowing more power and range than vehicles with similarly sized batteries without energy recovery capabilities. With its active heating capabilities, Ultium vehicles can also potentially charge more efficiently by warming up the batteries before charging2.

Ultium's energy recovery even enables GMC HUMMER EV’s available Watts to Freedom feature. Energy recovery precools the propulsion system to help the all-electric super-truck accelerate from 0-60 mph in approximately 3 seconds

News related to GM or Ultium

Cadillac reached another electric vehicle milestone today in China with the start of pre-production of the LYRIQ at SAIC-GM's Cadillac plant in Shanghai. The first all-electric vehicle from GM's luxury brand has now entered its final stage of development in China before mass production and deliveries to customers. This stage includes optimizing the manufacturing process, conducting reliability tests and carrying out...

7 May 2022

LG Magna e-Powertrain, a joint venture between LG Electronics and Magna International Inc., celebrated the groundbreaking of its new plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Scheduled for completion in 2023, the new facility will produce inverters, motors, and onboard chargers to support General Motors’ new electric vehicle (EV) platform. The 260,000 square foot plant will be LG Magna e-Powertrain’s first production base in...

20 April 2022

Glencore and General Motors announced today a multi-year sourcing agreement in which Glencore will supply GM with cobalt from its Murrin Murrin operation in Australia. Cobalt is an important metal in the production of EV batteries, and the cobalt processed from Australia will be used in GM’s Ultium battery cathodes, which will power electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EV, and Cadillac...

13 April 2022

General Motors and Honda today announced plans to expand the two companies' relationship to a new chapter by codeveloping a series of affordable electric vehicles based on a new global architecture using next-generation Ultium battery technology. The companies are working together to enable global production of millions of EVs starting in 2027, including compact crossover vehicles, leveraging the two companies'...

5 April 2022

Today, General Motors marks another major milestone in its commitment to an all-electric future as Cadillac formally celebrates the beginning of retail production of the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ at GM’s Spring Hill, Tennessee, assembly plant. GM President Mark Reuss, Cadillac Vice President Rory Harvey, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, UAW representatives, plant employees and other officials joined together today to celebrate...

22 March 2022

Chevrolet provided a glimpse of the all-electric Chevrolet Blazer SS, which will be the first Chevy EV to feature a performance SS model. The all-electric Blazer SS will make its debut later this year and will be available in spring 2023.

9 March 2022

General Motors and POSCO Chemical announced that they are working with the governments of Canada and Quebec to build a new facility in Bécancour, Quebec, estimated at $400 million (C$500 million). The new facility will produce cathode active material (CAM) for GM's Ultium batteries, which will power electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EV, and Cadillac LYRIQ. The companies previously...

7 March 2022

GM announced today an investment of more than $7 billion in four Michigan manufacturing sites, creating 4,000 new jobs and retaining 1,000, and significantly increasing battery cell and electric truck manufacturing capacity. This is the single largest investment announcement in GM history. The investment includes the construction of a new Ultium Cells battery cell plant in Lansing and the conversion of GM’s assembly...

25 January 2022

Ultium Cells, a joint venture of LG Energy Solution and General Motors, today announced a $2.6 billion investment to build its third battery cell manufacturing plant in the United States. The facility will be located in Lansing, Michigan. The Ultium Cells Lansing site joins Ultium Cells battery cell manufacturing sites being constructed in Ohio and Tennessee. Ultium Cells will build the new plant on land leased from...

25 January 2022

General Motors announced today plans to invest nearly $154 million in its Western New York Lockport Components plant. The investment will be used to renovate the facility and purchase and install new machinery and equipment used in the production of the stator module, a key component in an electric motor. Electric motors will be used in a variety of GM’s future Ultium Platform-based electric trucks and SUVs...

22 January 2022

General Motors has made the first deliveries of its first next-generation electric vehicles, the GMC HUMMER EV Edition 1 Pickup and BrightDrop EV600 light commercial vehicle, both built on the Ultium Platform. This dedicated EV architecture and propulsion system is the foundation for GM's all-electric future, giving the company the capability not only to build an entire retail and commercial portfolio but also...

20 December 2021

The Cadillac LYRIQ is now on pre-sale in China. The price of the long-range luxury model is CNY 439,700. Customers can place their order through Cadillac's IQ app or WeChat mini-program with a deposit of CNY 1,190. Those who preorder and purchase a LYRIQ by the end of April 2022 will receive additional benefits such as 10,000 kilometers of free public charging, a daily range-relevant gift for logging on to the...

25 November 2021

Today, GM celebrates the grand opening of Factory ZERO - an American EV factory. Production is now set to begin at the former Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, less than two years after GM announced the massive $2.2 billion investment to fully renovate the facility to build a variety of all-electric trucks and SUVs. The name Factory ZERO reflects the significant role the facility plays in advancing GM’s vision of a...

17 November 2021

General Motors announced a new community charging program to install up to 40,000 Level 2 EV chargers across the U.S. and Canada. GM and its dealers will work together to expand access to charging in local communities including in underserved, rural and urban areas where EV charging access is often limited. This initiative, which begins in 2022, is part of GM's recently announced commitment to invest nearly $750...

27 October 2021