GM announces million-mile battery breakthrough
US car-making giant in a race with Tesla to deliver cheaper and longer-lasting battery cellsGeneral Motors has announced it's "almost there" on its mission to create a battery that will last one million miles.
According to GM VP, Doug Parks, work has progressed on the US car-maker's 'Ultium' battery unveiled in March and the next-gen cells will be cobalt-free and feature solid-state electrolytes that enable ultra-fast charging.
GM says that its testing shows that current battery tech, on average, lasts for between 100,000 miles (160,000km) to 200,000 miles (320,000km).
In Parks' recent call to GM investors he didn't reveal when the car-maker would roll-out the new batteries and in what vehicles, but the revelation the car-maker was close to the million-mile lifecycle target puts GM head-to-head with Tesla, which says it is set to launch its million-mile batteries early next year.
Tesla is working with Chinese partner battery-maker CATL, while GM's new battery cells are being developed as part of a joint-venture with Korean partner LG Chem.
Like Tesla, GM says it hopes to reduce the cost of development significantly compared to current battery technology.
As well as developing new battery tech, GM says it and its partners are investing in mines, hedging metal prices and partnering with metal refiners.
GM has already declared it will make one million EVs a year by 2025, for the US and China.
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