GM has decided to stop using the Ultium name for its electric car batteries, but will keep the name on the factories which make them. The Ultium battery design is modular, so it can be fixed after a crash or if a battery has some bad modules. As with every other major automaker, GM is also investigating solid state batteries.
Today GM announced that it was launching the “GM Energy PowerBank,” which lets EV owners store and transfer grid energy and optionally integrate power from solar panels; it can act as a generator during power outages. The product will be available in all fifty states in 10.6 and 17.7 kWh capacities. The system can both supply power during an outage and offset peak-demand energy rates by allowing energy to be captured (by solar panels or from the grid) at convenient times. Two units can be combined to provide 35.4 kWh of stationary storage. (An EV does not have to be hooked up to the system for it to work with house power.)
The system is modular and can be ordered with a charger and vehicle-to-home power kit. It can be added to past GM vehicle-to-home bundles. More information is available from GM.
One advantage of GM’s more in-house approach to electric vehicles over Stellantis’ joint-venture-and-importing setup is that GM can add, and profit from, ancillary features. In addition, GM recently announced that it expected its electric car ventures to grow rapidly over the next year and become profitable with that growth. Unlike Stellantis, GM is not suing its union and suppliers, publicly fighting with its dealer base, declaring fiscal emergencies while still making profits, or laying off thousands of employees at the moment.
David Zatz started what was to become the world’s biggest, most comprehensive Mopar site in 1994 as he pursued a career in organizational research and change. After a chemo-induced break, during which he wrote car books covering Vipers, minivans, and Jeeps, he returned with Patrick Rall to create StellPower.com for daily news, and to set up MoTales for mo’ tales.
David Zatz has around 30 years of experience in covering Chrysler/Mopar news and history, and most recently wrote Century of Chrysler, a 100-year retrospective on the Chrysler marque.
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