GM’s New Electric Motors Will Power Ultium-based EVs
General Motors recently unveiled three new electric motors, which are built as a scalable family, and will be part of GM’s Ultium Drive technology.
General Motors’ EV powertrains are attracting quite a lot of attention. GM is already in damage control mode due to the highly-publicized Chevrolet Bolt EV fires and will be launching a new advanced diagnostic software soon to address the underlying causes. But, the company is also looking ahead to the future. GM recently unveiled three new electric motors, which are part of the automaker’s Ultium Drive technology.
The new family of electric motors includes a 62-kW all-wheel-drive assist motor, a 180-kilowatt front-drive motor, and a 255 kW rear- and front-drive motor. The calibration of GM’s new motors will help deliver the highest level of performance in its Ultium-powered models. The motors employ the same tooling and share similar design principles and production strategies. As a result of this, GM can capitalize on its new Ultium Drive tech as a legacy automaker by exercising its technological scaling and distribution privilege.
This will also give General Motors a competitive advantage over younger automakers like EV pioneer- Tesla. General Motors President, Mark Reuss shared his thoughts on the new motors during the 2021 Mackinac Policy Conference.
GM aims to reduce dependency on rare earth materials by using permanent magnet motors.
“Twenty years of electric drive system development and more than 100 years of high-volume vehicle engineering are helping GM pivot quickly from conventional vehicles to EVs,” said Reuss. He further added, “Our vertical integration in this space, encompassing both hardware and software, helps give us control over our own destiny and a significant competitive advantage.”
GM is also trying to help create a future where the automotive industry is not dependent on rare earth materials. The automaker’s new front-drive motor and 255 kW rear- and front-drive motor use permanent magnets. The 62 kW all-wheel-drive assist unit is an induction motor. The company claims that its new offerings can propel a broad range of products. These will even include all-electric trucks and performance vehicles.
The company claims that a single battery-electric drivetrain can employ as many as three motors. For instance, the upcoming GMC Hummer EV’s powertrain will reportedly produce 1000 HP of power, courtesy of three 255-kW motors.
Image Source: General Motors