GM News: GM's Future Looks Bright Due to Kilowatts of Power and an Exciting Portfolio!

[David]

We start off with the joint production plant of GM/LG Energy Solutions opening up for production of Ultium Cells in this 2.8 million-square-foot site. This site was planned for production to begin by late 2022.

May 2020, ground was broken, steel construction begun and by February 2021 the steel was topped out.

Officially prototype battery cells were started in February 2022, but as of September 6th, 2022, the plant had an official ceremony with state, county and city officials along with GM and LG at this site along Route 45 in Lordstown. This site has 800 employees and is expected to grow to 1,100 by late 2023 when in full production mode as this plant will supply the battery packs for the Hummer EVs, Chevrolet Silverado EV Pickups and the Cadillac LYRIQ electric SUV line.

GM is on track to move to a full EV portfolio by 2035, a mere 12 years away. Demand for workers will continue to grow in this region as GM will be expanding as they have Ultium Plants 2 & 3 under construction. As of this morning September 12, 2022, Ultium Cells LLC has confirmed they are developing the business case to build a 4th plant a mere 15 miles away in New Carlisle, Indiana. This process is currently moving forward with the local officials and GM with all approvals on track for later this month as GM/LG secure a tax abatement. This will be the 4th $2 Billion-dollar Ultium Cells production site. 

This 4th production site will add to the current 3 sites that has GM on track to produce 1 million plus EVs in North America by the end of 2025. This is all part of the GM plan for a carbon neutral auto company by 2045 under the direction of CEO Mary Barra.

Keep in mind that competition for workers will be strong in this area as Honda and LG Energy Solutions has announced their first battery production site in Mahoning Valley, Ohio.

GM's first Ultium production site will produce 35+ GWh a year by the end of 2023, producing millions of Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminum (NCMA) large-format, pouch-style cells per year. This site is the equivalent size of 30 football fields. GM has stated that every plant has room to expand production by double if not triple the current planned output.

All total you have the following joint battery cell production sites:

• Plant 1: Warren, Ohio Ultium Cell site
  • Battery Pouch Official Production started September 2022
    • Prototype production since February 2022
  • 2.8 million sq-ft
  • 1,100 employees estimated
  • 35+ GWh production, capable of expanding
  • Cost $2 billion
• Plant 2: Spring Hill, Tennessee Ultium Cell Site
  • Battery Pouch Production to begin by late 2023
    • Final beam installation happened August 2022
  • 2.8 million sq-ft
  • Estimated 1,300 employees when in production
  • 40+ GWh production, capable of expanding
  • Cost $2.3 Billion
• Plant 3: Lansing, Michigan Ultium Cell Site
  • Battery Pouch Production to begin by 2024
    • Steel topping out estimated spring 2023
    • Plant has been announced to produce battery cells for all Chevrolet and GMC EV truck production.
  • 2.8 million sq-ft
  • 1,700 employees estimated
  • 50+ GWh battery pouch production, capable of expanding
  • Cost $2.7 Billion
• Plant 4: New Carlisle, Indiana Ultium Cell Site
  • Battery Pouch Production start N/A
  • 2.8 million sq-ft
  • Employee Estimated N/A
  • 50+ GWh battery pouch production, capable of expanding, GM/LG will not confirm or deny this size at this time
  • Estimated Cost $2 Billion

All total, GM has a confirmed 125+ GWh battery pouch production of cells for their EV portfolio either online now or coming online by 2024. 

Tesla being the king currently in EV production needs to be watching over their shoulder as current production of EVs globally has Tesla at 20 GWh of cell production, though their CEO has stated they are producing much more than that as they continue to ramp up Germany, China and the California and Texas production sites. Keep one thing in mind, as Tesla does produce 35 GWh of cells in Nevada, only 1/3 is used in auto production and the rest based on reports goes to residential and commercial power walls and their solar roof with storage solutions.

Big challenge for everyone is the critical raw materials for these battery cells be they pouch design or hard circular battery shape.

 GM's Electric Vehicle portfolio as of today pretty much has amounted to the BOLT, BOLT EUV, Hummer EV Truck and Cadillac LYRIQ. Yet there are plenty more coming and these will not be six figures as most companies are selling right now for an EV.

Just recently revealed was the Chevrolet Equinox EV. This is their starting point for today as a compact 1LT EV, this Equinox will start at $30,000 according to GM in a front-wheel-drive (FWD) format. Though Chevrolet is allowing folks to build to order in ways that were last seen 40 plus years ago in regard to the fact that while a 1LT is the entry point in FWD, you can add a bigger battery pack or AWD to this auto beside an Alacarte assortment of options.

Trim on the Chevrolet Equinox EV is as follows:

To quote their press release:

Electrifying capability
A standard front-wheel-drive system with GM estimated 210 horsepower and 242 lb-ft of torque offers quick acceleration and a fun driving experience for everyday tasks, with a 290-horsepower and 346 lb-ft torque eAWD system available.

One-Pedal Driving⁵ is standard and allows the Equinox EV to accelerate and slow to a full stop, using only the accelerator. It’s paired with regenerative braking⁶, which can convert the kinetic energy of the vehicle’s forward momentum into electricity that’s stored in the battery pack to maximize the driving range.

The Equinox EV also packs the latest in charging technology:

• Standard 11.5 kW Level 2 (AC) charging, which can add up to 34 miles of range per hour of charging, per GM estimates
• 19.2 kW Level 2 (AC) charging is available on 3RS eAWD, which can add up to 51 miles of range per hour of charging, per GM estimates
• Standard DC fast-charging capability of up to 150 kW, which enables approximately 70 miles of range to be added in 10 minutes, per GM estimates

GM covers the Equinox EV’s battery with an 8-year/100,000-mile limited warranty, in addition to the vehicle’s standard bumper-to-bumper coverage for added peace of mind.

Chevrolet is also offering the following standard safety features:

• Chevy Safety Assist, which includes Automatic Emergency Braking, Following Distance Indicator, Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning and IntelliBeam automatic high beams
• Rear Park Assist
• Reverse Automatic Braking
• Safety Alert Seat
• Rear Cross Traffic Braking
• Blind Zone Steering Assist

Available safety options are Adaptive Cruise Control, HD Surround Vision, Heads-Up Display, Rear Camera Mirror and Super Cruise.

Here is one way a 3LT could look:

You then move to top line trim in the 3RS:

Here is the complete list released by trim level for the Chevrolet Equinox:

Trim	Select Content Details
1LT	Manual-adjust front seats 11-inch-diagonal infotainment3 screen 11-inch-diagonal driver information center 19-inch machine-face aluminum wheels
2LT	8-way power-adjustable driver seat Heated front seats and heated steering wheel Available Black with Blue Accents interior or Sky Cool Gray interior Available 17.7-inch-diagonal infotainment3 screen 11-inch-diagonal driver information center 19-inch machine-face aluminum wheels Front LED light bar Roof rails Heated outside mirrors Available presence-based power liftgate Available Adaptive Cruise Control9 and HD Surround Vision9 Available Super Cruise4 driver assistance technology Available White roof with Blue exterior Available sunroof
2RS	8-way power-adjustable driver seat Heated front seats and heated steering flat-bottom wheel Available Black with Red Accents interior or Adrenaline Red interior Available 17.7-inch-diagonal infotainment3 screen 11-inch-diagonal driver information center 20-inch dark aluminum wheels Front LED light bar Roof rails Heated outside mirrors Available presence-based power liftgate Available Adaptive Cruise Control9 and HD Surround Vision9 Available Super Cruise4 driver assistance technology Available Black roof Available sunroof
3LT	8-way power-adjustable driver seat and 6-way power-adjustable front passenger seat Front heated/ventilated seats and rear outboard heated seats Available Black with Blue Accents interior or Sky Cool Gray interior Heated steering wheel Dual-zone climate control Heated wiper park 17.7-inch-diagonal infotainment3 screen 11-inch-diagonal driver information center Available head-up display and full-display camera mirror (with rear washer) Available Bose audio system Available sunroof 21-inch aluminum wheels Front LED light bar Roof rails Heated outside mirrors Standard presence-based power liftgate Standard Adaptive Cruise Control3 and HD Surround Vision3 Available Head-Up Display and Rear Camera Mirror3 Available Super Cruise4 driver assistance technology
3RS	8-way power-adjustable driver seat and 6-way power-adjustable front passenger seat Front heated/ventilated seats and rear outboard heated seats Available Black with Red Accents interior or Adrenaline Red interior Heated flat-bottom steering wheel Dual-zone climate control Heated wiper park 17.7-inch-diagonal infotainment3 screen 11-inch-diagonal driver information center Available Head-Up Display and Rear Camera Mirror9 (with rear washer) Available Bose audio system Available sunroof 21-inch aluminum wheels Front LED light bar Roof rails Heated outside mirrors Standard presence-based power liftgate Standard Adaptive Cruise Control9 and HD Surround Vision9 Available Super Cruise4 driver assistance technology Available 19.2 kW Level 2 (AC) charging module7

Chevrolet Equinox EV 3RS

While we have the two sub-Compacts BOLT and BOLT EUV, we cannot forget that Chevrolet has already announced their mid size EV, the Chevrolet Blazer. Full details can be seen here:

Then we have the full-size Chevrolet Silverado EV truck:

Course one could not forget that we have the Hummer by GMC.

1,000 HP and 11,500 lb-ft of torque

We then have the luxury segment where Cadillac has their first EV to start the transition over the next few years to a complete EV portfolio.

Welcome the Cadillac LYRIQ:

It would seem that based on the current level of change that GM is sitting well in the game to change to a green portfolio of electric vehicles. The next couple of years as more and more models come out will show options that others probably have not thought about.

Yes, for some the charging network is still not vast depending on where one lives, yet it is growing monthly with investments from the government, auto companies and private charging companies that are stepping up their game.

 

One area that we have not touched on is Charging. Many say it is way to bothersome to go electric when you have to sit for so long to get recharged. Others say it is like using your cell phone, you come home and plug it into a 220V wall charger and have a full battery pack in the morning. The counter point here is that some say not everyone will pay to have a 220V 50 amp wall charger installed at their home. The idea has always been charging as fast as gas.

It would seem the brains at Idaho National Laboratory presented at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2022 meeting claims they could significantly increase the amount of power is pushed into a battery cell. 

Super-fast electric car charging, with a tailor-made touch - American Chemical Society (acs.org)

The end result was tailored made methods of charging one's battery pack to full in 10 minutes or less without battery damage or shorter life. The ultimate goal is for the electric vehicle to tell the charging station how to power up their specific batteries quickly and safely.

 

News | Ultium Cells LLC

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GM, LG Energy Solution considering Indiana for fourth U.S. battery plant | Reuters

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Warren OH Location | Ultium Cells LLC

(8) Welcome, Chevrolet Equinox EV! | LinkedIn

Equinox EV (chevrolet.com)

2024 Equinox EV: An Affordable, Functional and Stylish EV (chevrolet.com)

All-Electric 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV Reimagines Customer Choice, Performance, Design (gm.com)

Committing to an All-Electric Future | General Motors (gm.com)

GM joint venture Ultium Cells considers new battery plant in Indiana (freep.com)

Can Tesla Meet 2022 Goals For In-House Battery Production? (lithium-news.com)

2024 Equinox EV: An Affordable, Functional and Stylish EV (gm.com)

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2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV PPV Ready for Patrol

All-Electric 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV Reimagines Customer Choice, Performance, Design

Committing to an All-Electric Future | General Motors (gm.com)

First-Ever Silverado EV: Electric Truck | Chevrolet

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2023 Cadillac LYRIQ | Electric SUV | Model Overview

View full article

[smk4565]

GM has to scale up faster than any of their rivals.  I don't count Tesla as a Chevy rival due to the price difference, no one else is scaled up yet in EV production, if GM can be the first big mover they might be able to get ahead and hold an advantage, assuming these EV's are good and people come back for a 2nd.  

[rkmdogs]

Nobody wants to talk about range or recharge time on these EVs, or where the rare earth raw materials are going to come from!

Sounds to much like a lot of wishful sales hype and reality is being ignored !!!

 

[ccap41]

41 minutes ago, rkmdogs said:

Nobody wants to talk about range or recharge time on these EVs, or where the rare earth raw materials are going to come from!

Sounds to much like a lot of wishful sales hype and reality is being ignored !!!

 

What are you talking about? Every EV article talks about range AND charge times. 

In fact, can you supply us a review of an electric vehicle that DOESN'T mention range or charge times?

[rkmdogs]

Yeah, I missed the table showing range- none exceeds 300 miles,

try to sell that in the midWest! Also was a note about charge time in 10 minutes -- HAH! Not doing that now.

What about trucks or RV that tow?

Reports of testing show less than 100 miles! And whatt about the pic of 5 coal miners having to push an EV to a charging point cuz it ran out!

We do not have support systems ready to go all EV, nor the resources for the batteries, even the most sophistocated one!

[ccap41]

12 minutes ago, rkmdogs said:

Yeah, I missed the table showing range- none exceeds 300 miles,

try to sell that in the midWest! Also was a note about charge time in 10 minutes -- HAH! Not doing that now.

I live very much in the Mid West and I can't think of the last time I drove over 300 miles that wasn't a vacation. You'd leave home every day with a full charge. That 10 minute wait would only be needed when road tripping.

You'd be amazed how many Teslas and now Hyundai/Kia EVs I see here. 

[oldshurst442]

27 minutes ago, rkmdogs said:

And whatt about the pic of 5 coal miners having to push an EV to a charging point cuz it ran out!

Ran out?   Anyway...

Those poor bastards.

This is fun of talking about whataboutisms...

I got my own...

What about the Hellcat that outran the cops but ran out of gas?

https://www.motorious.com/articles/news/hellcat-outruns-the-cops/

 

Not once, but twice...

The article above happened in Michigan.  The following video clip happened in Houston

 

The baddies were forced to ditch the thirsty Kitty. At least the minors were able to push theirs to an outlet...

38 minutes ago, rkmdogs said:

We do not have support systems ready to go all EV

 

Maybe instead of whining about it, doncha think its actually time to make the electrical infrastructure ready? 

43 minutes ago, rkmdogs said:

nor the resources for the batteries,

What resource is this?

 

Your tele-evangelical way of cryptic talk of being anti-EV aint working.  

It never did.

But you go back at it bruh! 

 

[surreal1272]

1 hour ago, rkmdogs said:

And whatt about the pic of 5 coal miners having to push an EV to a charging point cuz it ran out!

Yeah because it's not like anyone has ever run out of gas lol.

[smk4565]

4 hours ago, rkmdogs said:

Yeah, I missed the table showing range- none exceeds 300 miles,

try to sell that in the midWest! Also was a note about charge time in 10 minutes -- HAH! Not doing that now.

What about trucks or RV that tow?

Reports of testing show less than 100 miles! And whatt about the pic of 5 coal miners having to push an EV to a charging point cuz it ran out!

We do not have support systems ready to go all EV, nor the resources for the batteries, even the most sophistocated one!

The average gasoline car has a 300 mile range, and I don't know a single person that fills their tank every day, 7 days a week.  And if you did, assuming a $70 fill up, 7 days a week, that's $490 a week, and $25,480 per year spent on gasoline, in which case it is all the more motivation to buy an EV.  

[David]

@surreal1272 @oldshurst442 @ccap41 Guess he must be talking about this story.

LOL: Photo Captures Five West Virginia Coal Miners Pushing Helpless Owner Of Electric Vehicle - The Blue State Conservative

4 hours ago, rkmdogs said:

Yeah, I missed the table showing range- none exceeds 300 miles,

try to sell that in the midWest! Also was a note about charge time in 10 minutes -- HAH! Not doing that now.

What about trucks or RV that tow?

Reports of testing show less than 100 miles! And whatt about the pic of 5 coal miners having to push an EV to a charging point cuz it ran out!

We do not have support systems ready to go all EV, nor the resources for the batteries, even the most sophistocated one!

Amazing the spelling errors, but I will stay focused on the last sentence, support system. Like everything most people will charge from home. Current charging station infrastructure is at the start just like the EVs. Limited EVs, limited Charge Stations, but like everything, it will grow and expand.

Facts are that many ICE auto's run out of gas even in today's society, yet at the start, gas stations were far and few between, so people ran out of gas lots of times. EVs will have the same issue and those that have service like AAA will have a charge brought to them so they can get to the next charge station.

[surreal1272]

28 minutes ago, David said:

@surreal1272 @oldshurst442 @ccap41 Guess he must be talking about this story.

LOL: Photo Captures Five West Virginia Coal Miners Pushing Helpless Owner Of Electric Vehicle - The Blue State Conservative

Amazing the spelling errors, but I will stay focused on the last sentence, support system. Like everything most people will charge from home. Current charging station infrastructure is at the start just like the EVs. Limited EVs, limited Charge Stations, but like everything, it will grow and expand.

Facts are that many ICE auto's run out of gas even in today's society, yet at the start, gas stations were far and few between, so people ran out of gas lots of times. EVs will have the same issue and those that have service like AAA will have a charge brought to them so they can get to the next charge station.

I should have taken a picture I saw this morning of a stranded Trailblazer and a man behind it holding a gas can. True story. I am so sick and tired of the troll articles and posts about EVs running out of juice with a limited (overall) infrastructure support while gas powered cars still run out of gas literally across the street from a gas station (again, true story). Both are the result of simple driver error and have squat to do with the means of propulsion underneath the hood. 

[ccap41]

10 hours ago, surreal1272 said:

I should have taken a picture I saw this morning of a stranded Trailblazer and a man behind it holding a gas can.

I was actually just about to say that I bet every one of us has a story where a friend, family member, coworker, or ourselves have run out of gas at one point. I, personally, have never run out of gas but I certainly know people who have.

One of my best friends burnt up his fuel pump in his '97 Z/28 (30th anniversary) because he ran it dry and tried to start it up a couple times once he ran out. 

One of these bad boys. I loved this car. 

[David]

2 hours ago, ccap41 said:

I was actually just about to say that I bet every one of us has a story where a friend, family member, coworker, or ourselves have run out of gas at one point. I, personally, have never run out of gas but I certainly know people who have.

I, like you have never run out of gas, yet my daughter did all the time when in Highschool and college. Lucky me she has outgrown that, but your right we all know someone, a family member, friend, co-worker, etc. that to this day still runs out of gas for one reason or another. This is nothing to do as @surreal1272 pointed out about the powertrain, but responsibility in paying attention to when you need to refuel either ICE or EV.

[David]

Seems GM is committed to delivering on a $30K dollar EV and finally hitting big time on Advertising for the EVs.

GM bets on electric Equinox to kick-start 'massive adoption' of EVs (cnbc.com)

GM launches aggressive EV ad campaign during NFL football to drive more mainstream adoption (electrek.co)

Was unable to read the original DetroitFreePress as I had already had my maximum of 6 free reads for the month. So much for free press. 🤪

Quote the electrek.co website of the DFP story:

According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, GM’s new marketing campaign, “EVs for everyone, everywhere,” will first air on Sunday, September 18, on Fox during the 1:00 p.m. game and then during Sunday Night Football on NBC.

Advertising during NFL games is not a new idea from GM. Anyone who watches football knows Chevy and NFL games go hand in hand. If you watched the NFL kickoff last week, then you know what I’m talking about.

And who can forget GM’s super bowl ad last year showing Austin Powers using the company’s Ultium platform to save the world?

However, according to the automaker, this time will be different. It will be the first time GM will feature all of its Chevy EV models together to promote mainstream adoption. The campaign will feature the entire Chevy EV family, even those that are not yet on the market:

• 2023 Bolt EV
• 2023 Bolt EUV
• 2024 Silverado EV
• 2024 Blazer EV
• 2024 Equinox EV

The Chevy Bolt EV, the company’s first long-range EV, starts at $26,595, while the Bolt EUV, the slightly bigger version with an estimated 247-mile range, starts at $28,195. Both are available for order, while the Silverado EV, Blazer EV, and Equinox EVs are due to hit the market next year.

Very cool to see, I hope GM keeps up having all the EVs and Concepts at other Autoshows this year. Would love to see the Buick Wildcat EV at the Seattle Autoshow.

President Biden Tours Broad Portfolio of General Motors EVs at Detroit Auto Show (gm.com)