To Accelerate the Production of Electric Vehicles, GM and Honda are Collaborating

On April 3, General Motors(GM) and Honda Motors jointly announced an agreement to jointly develop two new Honda electric models based on GM Ultium batteries and a new generation of modular global electric vehicle platforms Electric vehicles. I will be highlighting the details of how and why honda and GM partner towards electric car production.

Honda and GM partner towards electric car production come 2024

Honda and GM Partner Towards Electric Car Production: The Highlights

According to the agreement, Honda Motor will be solely responsible for the styling and interior of its new electric models to maintain the brand’s own unique style. On the other hand, GM’s modular platform will be used to support Honda to maintain its driving style. The new model will be produced at GM’s North American plant and is expected to be sold in the US and Canada in 2024.

Rick Schostek, executive vice president of Honda Motors America, said that this cooperation brings together the advantages of both parties. By extension, “this collaboration will unlock economies of scale to accelerate our electrification roadmap and advance our industry-leading efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Doug Patters, executive vice president of global product development, procurement, and supply chain at GM, said the joint development will further validate the technological advancement and capabilities of Ultium batteries. This will in turn usher in a new generation of global electric vehicle platforms. He quote “By improving the scale effect and capital efficiency, we will further advance the future of pure electric vehicles and the profitability goals of electric vehicles. “

Don’t Miss: Honda Accord is the Best Medium-Sized car with the Highest Second-hand Value-here is how it stacked up against the rest

About GM’s Modular Drive System and Ultium Battery

GM’s modular drive system and electric vehicle platform equipped with Ultium batteries were first launched in March this year. The platform has a high degree of flexibility and will comprehensively cover all levels of GM vehicles including pickups and performance vehicles.

General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mary Barra said that the electrification strategy established by GM covers multiple brands and market segments, and its economies of scale are comparable to full-size pickup business and more flexible.

 

In the layout of the vehicle, the batteries of Ultium batteries can be arranged in both vertical and horizontal directions. The capacity of the batteries ranges from 50kWh to 200kWh, and the cruising range can reach 640km. In addition, you can attain acceleration from 0-100km in only 3s.

In terms of drive system, GM initially plans to launch 19 types of batteries and drive units, which will provide options for front-drive, rear-drive, four-wheel drive, and all-wheel-drive(AWD) performance.

In this regard, GM adopts the strategy of co-development of complete vehicles and drive systems to further reduce the complexity and number of parts of electric vehicles.

GM believes that the modular development method will significantly enhance the economies of scale of electric vehicles. Suffice to say that it is expected that the first generation of electric vehicle projects will achieve profitability in the future.

Especially Relevant: Base Models are Cost-Effective, However, you are Better off Buying the Top Models of these Cars

In order to continue to reduce battery costs, in December 2019, General Motors and LG Chem announced the establishment of a peer-to-peer joint venture in the United States, investing up to US $ 2.3 billion to jointly develop and produce batteries.

The goal is to reduce battery costs to less than $ 100 / kWh. The battery will use a patented chemical formula with a low cobalt content. Continuous breakthroughs in technology and production processes are expected to further reduce battery costs.

 

The Architecture of Ultium Battery

Apparently, GM and Honda Motors have been cooperating for a while. In 2018, Honda and GM partnered to jointly developed battery modules.

In January this year, GM and Honda jointly developed Cruise Origin pure electric self-driving shared models Launched in San Francisco, this is also the first product equipped with a third-generation electric vehicle platform and Ultium battery.

According to GM’s plan, products equipped with the third-largest electric vehicle platform and Ultium battery also include the Cadillac pure electric SUV, Lyriq, which will be unveiled in April and May respectively and is scheduled to be in Detroit-Han next fall.

GM also said that Ultium batteries can be authorized for third-party products in the future. The first to bear the brunt is Honda Motor, a long-term partner. In addition to electrification technology, GM and Honda also have cooperation in other fields. In October 2018, Cruiser, a self-driving company invested by General Motors, received $ 750 million from Honda, and Honda received a 5.7% stake in the company. Honda also promised to invest approximately 2 billion US dollars in the next 12 years.

On the jointly developed pure electric models, GM’s OnStar service will be seamlessly integrated with Honda’s HondaLink intelligent network connectivity system. And the general advanced automatic driving assistance function Super Cruiser will also be used by Honda.