GM to Invest in New Battery Building to Lower EV Costs

The future is electric, so to speak.

General Motors today said that the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center will be located on the campus of GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. The all-new building “will significantly expand the company’s battery technology operations and accelerate development and commercialization of longer range, more affordable electric vehicle batteries,” GM said in a release. GM will also use the facility to integrate the work of GM-affiliated battery innovators, helping the company to reach its stated goal of at least 60 % lower battery costs with the next generation of Ultium.

The latest GM announcement comes just one day after it said it reached a deal with Wolfspeed (to develop and provide silicon carbide power devices for GM’s future electric vehicle programs. Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide devices will allow GM to “install more efficient EV propulsion systems that will extend the range” of its growing EV portfolio.

The silicon carbide involved will be used in the integrated power electronics contained within GM’s Ultium Drive units in its next-generation EVs. (EV Battery Gold-Rush – GM and Wolfspeed Cut Deal)

The Wallace Center will be capable of building large-format, prototype lithium-metal battery cells for vehicle usage beyond the small-scale lithium-metal cells used in handheld devices or research applications. These cells could be as large as 1,000 mm, twice the size of the initial Ultium pouch cells. They will be based on GM’s proprietary formula.

The Wallace Center is currently under construction and will be completed in mid-2022. Designed for expansion, the facility is projected to grow up to at least three times its initial footprint, with room for additional investments, as demand for EVs increases. The facility is expected to build its first prototype cells in the fourth quarter of 2022.

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