GM seemingly has big aspirations for the Bolt EV.
General Motors Co on Tuesday outlined a wide-ranging partnership with Korean electronics firm LG Corp for production of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle that could establish a blueprint for such collaborations in the future.
Reuss and Pam Fletcher, GM executive chief engineer for electrified vehicles, said they are confident the Bolt will be certified for a range of at least 200 miles by the time it goes on sale. LG supplied an array of new components and systems for the Chevrolet Bolt EV. “By taking the best of our in-house engineering prowess established with the Chevrolet Volt and Spark EV, and combining the experience of the LG Group, we’re able to transform the concept of the industry’s first long-range, affordable EV into reality”, he added.
GM product development chief Mark Reuss (Royce) said the company’s 200-mile range estimate for the Bolt is a bit conservative.
LG invested more than $250 million in an engineering and manufacturing facility in Incheon, outside Seoul, to develop and build components and systems for the Bolt, according to a source familiar with the deal.
“Being selected as GM’s EV technology partner positions LG as a key player in next-generation vehicular technologies”, said Woo-jong Lee, CEO of the LG Electronics Vehicle Components Company. LG isn’t just building the lithium-ion battery pack, which is one of the most important parts of an EV, but also the electric drive motor (although it was designed by GM), the onboard charger and the power inverter module and the accessory power module. “The opportunity to work with GM on such game-changing technology is indicative of exactly the type of contributions that traditional tech companies can make in the automotive space”. LG Chem already has worked with GM on the battery design.
While GM and others have made progress in boosting the range of their batteries and reducing weight of vehicles, the cost of producing hybrids and EVs at current sales volumes is a high hurdle. At that price, the auto would be in the range of Tesla’s planned Model III, which also would go about 200 miles per charge.
