General Motors showcased its new Ultium battery design last week near Detroit.
The objectives for Ultium are to support 22 new electrified vehicles by 2023, drive costs below $100 per kilowatt-hour, provide flexibility to vehicles designs, and enable GM's EV rollout to be profitable on its first cycle.
The Ultium battery pack is both smart and cost-efficient, reducing cobalt usage by 70%, and GM eventually wants to eliminate both cobalt and nickel from its battery designs, and to move toward sold-state batteries.
GM is planning to spend $20 billion on electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025. The automotive giant is also focused on ensuring that its burgeoning EV program is profitable in its first cycle.