GM expands North America-focused EV supply chain

GM expands North America-focused EV supply chain

General Motors Co. and POSCO Chemical are working with the governments of Canada and Quebec to build a new facility in Bécancour, Quebec, estimated at $400 million. The new facility will produce cathode active material (CAM) for GM’s Ultium batteries, which will power electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac LYRIQ.

The companies previously announced plans to form a CAM processing joint venture in December 2021, majority-owned by POSCO Chemical. Construction of the new facility, which the joint venture will operate, will begin immediately and will create approximately 200 jobs. The site’s construction will allow for future expansion opportunities as GM continues to pursue many potential future EV supply chain projects.

The Quebec site will process CAM, a key battery material consisting of components like processed nickel, lithium and other materials representing about 40% of the cost of a battery cell.

By the end of 2025, GM plans to have the capacity to build 1 million electric vehicles in North America, and the company targets the majority of components by value to be sustainably sourced, processed or manufactured in North America.

GM has announced a series of actions to create a new and more secure EV supply chain, including projects targeting key EV materials and components:

  • Lithium with Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) to secure lithium produced by the first stage of its Hell’s Kitchen Project in California.
  • Rare earth materials with GE, to develop a rare earth value chain.
  • Alloy flakes with MP Materials, who will establish the first North American processing site for alloy flakes. The company will then expand into magnet manufacturing around 2025 at its new production facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
  • Permanent magnets with VAC, the largest producer of permanent magnets in the Western Hemisphere with nearly 100 years of experience. VAC will establish a North America footprint to support GM’s magnet requirements starting in 2024, including locally sourced raw materials and finished magnet production.

You May Also Like

Magna wins battery enclosures business for Chevy Silverado EV

Battery enclosures, which all battery EVs require, house high-voltage batteries, electrical components, sensors and connectors.

2024-Silverado-EV-RST-Magna-battery-enclosures-1400

Magna has secured new business from General Motors to supply battery enclosures on the new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV. The company will produce the enclosures at its Magna Electric Vehicle Structures facility in St. Clair, Michigan, where it already produces the battery enclosure for the GMC Hummer EV.

Magna recently announced significant investment plans for the facility in St. Clair to support the fast-growing electric vehicle market. Production is expected to begin later this year.

The Shyft Group will build Blue Arc Commercial EVs in Michigan

The company will spend $16 million to expand its engineering and manufacturing campus in Charlotte, Michigan.

Shyft-Group-manufacturing-Michigan-blue-arc-ev-1400
BendPak releases improved Mobi-EVS EV lift

Mobi-EVS full-rise mobile scissor lift tables are designed for removing and installing high-voltage battery packs.

New-BendPak-Mobi-EVSTM-EV-Powertrain-Lifting-Systems
BorgWarner acquires Hubei SSE charging business

SSE’s electrification capabilities in China are expected to complement BorgWarner in Europe and North America.

BorgWarner-Santroll-eMotor-Handshake-1400
Qnovo, NXP partner on EV battery performance, range

Qnovo is working to integrate its software with the NXP battery management system, leading to reduced EV development costs.

Qnovo-Vanderhall-Brawley-CES-2023-1400

Other Posts

Canada chosen for Volkswagen overseas EV battery gigafactory

The Volkswagen Group brands plan to introduce more than 25 new BEV models through 2030.

Volkswagen-Canada-Gigafactory-EV-Batteries-PowerCo-SE-1400
Lightning Motorcycle can add 135 miles of range in 10 minutes

Enevate Corp. supplied “extreme fast charge” EV lithium-ion battery cells for Lightning’s Strike Carbon motorcycle.

Lightning-Motors-Fast-Charging-1400
Unico launches quantum drive platform for EV battery testing

The Unico Quantum Drive Platform allows multiple pack, module, and cell test channels to be used in a single system.

Unico-EV-Battery-testing-1400
The EV battery materials sourcing problem

What innovations could help lessen the detrimental impacts stemming from EV battery manufacturing?

Impact-Featured-Image-1400x700-Sourcing