On March 4th, GM showed the core of its electrification strategy to the outside world for the first time-the modular drive system and the third generation global electric vehicle platform equipped with Ultium exclusive battery. And GM announced Cruise? Origin pure electric autopilot * * * is the first product equipped with the third generation electric vehicle platform and Ultium battery. Cadillac Lyriq pure electric luxury SUV will be unveiled in April, while electric pickup GMC Hummer will be unveiled in May, and it is planned to be officially put into production in 20021autumn.
It should be noted that this is not only a technical briefing, but also a preview of forward-looking technologies and products. According to the invited media, they saw Cadillac's flagship concept car Celestiq and Cadillac's upcoming electric SUV lyr IQ, as well as nine EV models such as Chevrolet, Buick and Hummer and the redesign of Bolt. Unfortunately, the organizers don't allow the invited media to bring any photographic equipment, so they can't show these new cars, but it seems that many of them are close to mass production.
The focus of GM's electric vehicle conference is still technology. From the news materials given, we can see the next development direction of global electric technology, especially the new generation electric technology route of General Motors, which is the pioneer of electric technology.
1, battery, battery, the most important thing is always electricity?
Gm stressed that the new third-generation electric vehicle platform will be equipped with exclusive Ultium batteries. Even the battery pack has its own name, which is enough to see the importance of this battery system to the whole platform.
In fact, at the beginning of the platform design, GM did think from the perspective of battery pack. For example, how the modular design of batteries can be used between different products-pickup trucks, SUVs, * * cars, light trucks and low-floor models can bring enough scale effect. In addition, how to arrange the battery pack to meet the different needs from tens of kwh to 100 kwh.
The most difficult thing is that the floor height of the model actually affects the layout of the battery very much. For example, the pickup truck model can be equipped with two layers, which can carry twice the battery capacity of traditional models, but according to the superposition of traditional modules, it obviously exceeds the height. And if the battery is made thinner, the single layer can't meet the endurance requirements of general low-floor models.
To this end, GM adopted a brand-new battery design. The soft cells of the "big bag battery" can be arranged in different directions-you can understand that they can be arranged horizontally like books on the shelf or vertically like books on the desk. In this way, when the battery pack is vertically arranged, about 24 soft battery cells can be integrated into the battery module. When horizontally arranged, 65,438+02 batteries are divided into two groups to form a low-height battery module, or more soft batteries are stacked to a higher height.
Different stacking forms can adapt to at least four floors, and flexible batteries can be used at the same time, which is more flexible and large-scale.
Based on the design of flexible battery module, GM combines the form similar to the standard module of Volkswagen MEB, which can accommodate 6~ 12 battery modules/floor, with a maximum of two floors. According to the chassis architecture displayed by GM, the battery module can now be composed of three different on-board battery systems, of which 24 double-layer overlapping modules will be used in the upcoming GMC Hummer electric pickup truck.
According to Electrek, each battery module will have a dedicated battery management system (BMS), which will enable a single module to be replaced by a new module, and even mix and match battery modules with different battery components. The BMS of battery module will store a set of data, which can be obtained at the end of its life cycle, thus facilitating the recovery and reuse of batteries.
2. Flexibility is not only high capacity, but also high performance.
Thanks to the flexible grouping method of Ultium batteries, the battery capacity of the third generation electric vehicle platform is from 50? Kwh to? 200? Kwh varies from 6 modules to 24 modules.
Large battery capacity can bring a long battery life of more than 640 kilometers-even a large vehicle like Hummer electric pickup truck-but more importantly, it has better discharge performance. Twenty-four modules are equivalent to two layers of batteries connected in parallel. At present, the voltage of most electric vehicles is 400 volts, so the double layer can reach 800 volts. High voltage can bring higher power output, which also makes the acceleration of GMC Hummer pickup truck within 3 seconds.
Another advantage of high voltage is higher charging efficiency. Because the electric pickup truck is a double-layer overlapping parallel connection, can it achieve 800? Volt battery pack and 350 kW fast charging capability. Converted, it takes about 10 minutes to charge 60 kWh. If it is an electric pickup truck, it also has a battery life of 200 kilometers. But most models of the third-generation electric vehicle platform will only be equipped with 400? Volt battery pack and 200 kW fast charging capability.
Compared with the current technical iteration of electric vehicles, 800V and high-power charging commonly used have become the forefront of electric vehicle technology. Porsche Taycan took the lead in using 800V high-voltage system, so the acceleration of 100 kilometers has caught up with Tesla's model? s； Mercedes-Benz revealed that it will realize 800V high voltage on the real EQ platform; Rivian, a new force in building cars? R 1T can support 800V v. In terms of high-power charging technology, Tesla V3 overcharging currently supports Model? 3 The maximum charging power is 250kW, but what is the model? S, model? X is150 kw; Most; Ford's latest mustang? Mach -E is 150kW, and Volkswagen ID.3 is 125kW.
More importantly, GM's high-performance electric vehicles will not only stay on paper, but will be delivered in 20021year-the first model is Hummer electric pickup truck, and it may also be Hummer electric SUV.
3. Battery cost is the top priority.
Gm took great pains to build the third generation electric vehicle platform and develop Ultium battery, largely because it solved the problem of scale effect. Only scale can solve the problem of battery cost-once the battery cost drops enough, the transformation of electric route is truly sustainable.
General Motors Battery Chief Engineer Andy Yuri (Andy? Oury) said: "Ultium will help us break through the cost curve of $0/00 per kWh/Kloc." According to the general calculation, it is far from the bottom of the battery cost curve, and now the battery cost is about $0/45 per kWh/kloc. In other words, there is still room for more than 30% reduction in battery cost.
In order to solve the cost problem, GM and LG Chem set up a joint venture company to jointly develop and produce batteries. The battery will adopt a patented chemical formula with low cobalt content-NMCA Ni-Mn-Co-Al new formula, which can greatly reduce the cobalt content and reduce the cost. In addition, the continuous breakthrough of technology and production process is expected to further reduce the cost of batteries, and standardized bag-shaped soft batteries can also produce stronger scale effect.
In addition, GM also attaches great importance to battery recycling, which can be used for other purposes, which is also a way to reduce production costs.
However, it is said that in the China market, GM may still choose the square case battery instead of the soft bag battery, and because the size of the square case is also 590 modules, it is also compatible with the third-generation electric vehicle platform, so the cost brought by the existing battery capacity in China is controllable enough.
4, one, two, three motor drive system
In terms of drive system, GM's self-developed motor will provide rich choices such as front drive, rear drive, four-wheel drive and performance four-wheel drive. There are three different combinations: single motor, double motor and three motor combination.
General Motors said that its research and development of motor technology began with EV 1 in 1990s, and now it has accumulated rich experience. Engineers also used a certain "modular" concept to configure one, two or three motors, and the volume was well controlled. The rated power of the front motor can reach 180kW(24 1 HP) and that of the rear motor can reach 250kW(335 HP).
As for the GMC Hummer EV, it belongs to the "performance four-wheel drive", and the two motors are packaged in the back to realize the output of 1000 horsepower.
One point that GM particularly emphasizes is: "Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, the structure of electric vehicles has always been relatively simple. GM has adopted the strategy of cooperative development of vehicle and drive system to further reduce the complexity of electric vehicles and the number of parts. GM originally planned to introduce 65,438+09 combinations of batteries and drive units. " You know, GM now has as many as 550 combinations of internal combustion engines and gearboxes on the global market, and the era of electric vehicles is equivalent to reducing the combination of drive systems by about 97%.
5. The product will be rolled out in 2022, reaching 6,543,800+0,000 vehicles in five years.
In the news release of GM, it is only mentioned that "GM's new generation global electric vehicle platform will cover a wide range of market segments, including pickup trucks, SUVs, crossover vehicles, cars, commercial vehicles, etc." But in fact, GM's progress on the third generation electric vehicle platform is much faster.
According to the report sent back by American auto media, besides Cadillac Lyriq will be unveiled in April and GMC Hummer electric pickup truck will be released in May, GM is also preparing to update Bolt this year.
The key point is that in 20021year, Cadillac Lyriq will be listed in China and then sold in the United States around 2022. In addition, there will be two versions of Hummer EV, one is a pickup truck and the other is an SUV with a slightly shorter wheelbase, with the same shape. Hummer has decided to start mass production in the autumn of 20021,and it is expected to be delivered before 20021. Besides, there's a guy named Bolt? The EUV model will also be launched in the summer of 202 1, which is a long-wheelbase crossover version of Bolt equipped with a super cruise system.
It is expected that 2022 will be the time for the third generation electric vehicle platform model to be fully rolled out. Buick and Chevrolet each have a medium-sized SUV, which is close to Explorer and Angkor. Buick also has a smaller electric SUV, probably at the level of GX in Angola. In addition, Cadillac also has a large SUV model, the same size as Escalade.
According to a short video released by GM, we can also see that this platform can carry several products, such as a coupe SUV, a sedan coupe SUV, and a box truck (or more people). At the same time, GM plans to launch at least 20 new models by 2023.
Mary Bola, chairman and CEO of GM, said that by 2025, GM will invest $20 billion in electric cars and self-driving cars, about $3 billion a year. She predicted that in 2025, China and the United States could sell 65,438+0,000 electric vehicles every year.
Summary: challenging Tesla is not accurate, and GM is the boss.
General motors in EV? There was too much content on display that day, which perfectly demonstrated the strength of a century-old automobile giant entering a new track. Undoubtedly, from the technical details, vehicle parameters and technology promotion nodes announced by GM, GM once again occupies the vanguard position of electric technology, and there is no objection on the front line.
In the previous five years, Tesla carved up the electric vehicle market by its own efforts, and also successfully harvested the image of "electric pioneer". Although traditional car companies are not without reserves in electric technology, their attitude and style of doing things are discussed by the outside world as "elephant turning around." Even the extreme view is that traditional car companies, such as Nokia, have fallen behind 5- 10 years in electric technology.
But in fact, Tesla launched Model? S almost a generation of models have passed, is it a model? 3 or a model? Y is a model? Continuation and optimization of S Now, electrification technology has once again reached the time node of upgrading, and Tesla itself is readjusting its electrification route. The most typical example is that Tesla will also release its new battery plan on Battery Technology Day in April, including cooperation with Contemporary Ampere Technology Co., Ltd. in the battery field. This shows that Tesla may also re-choose the development path.
At the same time, the traditional automobile giants have also started a new round of product architecture layout. The MEB and PPE platforms of Volkswagen Group continue Volkswagen's consistent modular architecture; BMW follows the CLAR architecture of fuel vehicles, and its technological breakthroughs are more concentrated in electric drive technology and battery R&D supply chain. Previously, Ford also announced the first model Mustang under its new electric vehicle platform. Mach-E, and the electric version will come from the existing transit and F- 150.
As a pioneer of modern electric vehicle technology, GM has demonstrated powerful electric drive technology from EV 1 in the 1990s to Volt and Bolt in the later period, and it is also thick enough in patent technology accumulation. However, GM has never been able to beat Tesla in electric cars before. The key is that the general electric vehicle should still consider the compatibility with the fuel vehicle architecture.
Therefore, in order to cope with the impact of Tesla in the next five to ten years, it is necessary to have a brand-new architecture and a product sequence that can be produced efficiently, and the most important thing is the battery pack-to reduce costs while improving battery life. The scale effect brought by modularity is the only way, which is also the starting point for GM to develop the third-generation electric vehicle platform and Ultium battery with a brand-new electric vehicle architecture.
At this point, GM and Tesla once again stood on the same starting line.
Text | |JackieLXX
Figure | Network
This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.