Let's Not Lie: GM's New Ultium Battery Isn't Better Than Tesla's

[TMC Staff]

200-kWh and 400 miles of range is GM's claim, but Tesla has cars with a claimed range of over 620 miles.

General Motors recently revealed its all-new Ultium battery technology and immediately it was deemed by some as Tesla beating, but is that truly the case?

When GM spilled details...

[WPURI="https://teslamotorsclub.com/blog/2020/03/13/gm-battery-not-beat-tesla/"]READ FULL ARTICLE[/WPURI]

 

[Brando]

Can't we compare actual products ??
Why bother comparing "planned" products ??
pathetic

 

[Chisale]

When I first read those articles I thought same thing. 200kWh battery with 400 miles of range? How is that beating anything that is currently for sale? Much less that it's merely a concept.

 

[MXLRplus]

Nobody has any idea what GM is actually doing at this stage. Making their own batteries is big step though. The stockholders aren't too happy so GM released a teaser with an emphasis on this being tech for licensing. They are dumping a lot cash into R&D still without increasing the bottom line yet.
If they really make a 1000HP Hummer, I will at least test drive it.

 

[BluestarE3]

Check out www.ultium.com if you want to learn more about this. This is as momentous as the transition from horse to automobile over a century ago... literally.

 

[inikkor]

Battery seems decent. Not sure about the drivetrain efficiency.

 

[MichaelP90DL]

And the added weight? A 200 kWh battery is gonna tip the scales at...what?

 

[Dr. J]

And the added weight? A 200 kWh battery is gonna tip the scales at...what?

 

[AlexanderTX]

Nobody has any idea what GM is actually doing at this stage. Making their own batteries is big step though. The stockholders aren't too happy so GM released a teaser with an emphasis on this being tech for licensing. They are dumping a lot cash into R&D still without increasing the bottom line yet.
If they really make a 1000HP Hummer, I will at least test drive it.

Agree. Not even GM knows what they are doing other than committing a big spend to EVs. I really want the Hummer EV to be amazing, but, even if it is (which is a big "if"), the price/cost is going to be ridiculous .... and then there's Cybertruck and all the other ev truck/suvs that will be out by then.

 

[Tessaract]

Check out www.ultium.com if you want to learn more about this. This is as momentous as the transition from horse to automobile over a century ago... literally.

Haha. I think the GM Ultium marketing info is more like what happens to that feed once the horse processes it...

 

[SageBrush]

To be fair to GM they *did* come up with a cartoonish name for their vapor-battery so the R&D is not a complete waste.

 

[Brando]

Still waiting for someone to Compare Tesla R&D with almost ANY other auto company.

2010-2019 Total Tesla R&D ~ $7 billion
Roadster/S/X/3/Y/batteries/SEMI/CyberTruck/Glass solar roof/storage/solar panels

Warning: Don't use my numbers, I may have made a mistake. You can do your own research (internet searches)

Seems, to me, most auto companies can easily spend $2-4 billion just on a model refresh.

 

[Big Earl]

2 miles per kWh out of something the size of an Escalade with its huge tires and frontal area is pretty impressive. For comparison, the substantially smaller Audi e-Tron struggles to get the same efficiency. Expect smaller vehicles with this same EV technology to get better efficiency. Unfortunately, GM and American consumers are infatuated with huge, inefficient vehicles.

 

[brucet999]

200-kWh and 400 miles of range is GM's claim, but Tesla has cars with a claimed range of over 620 miles.

General Motors recently revealed its all-new Ultium battery technology and immediately it was deemed by some as Tesla beating, but is that truly the case?

When GM spilled details...

[WPURI="https://teslamotorsclub.com/blog/2020/03/13/gm-battery-not-beat-tesla/"]READ FULL ARTICLE[/WPURI]

Is it true that the Ultium Battery will replace scarce and expensive cobalt with unobtanium?

 

[Tessaract]

Still waiting for someone to Compare Tesla R&D with almost ANY other auto company.

2010-2019 Total Tesla R&D ~ $7 billion
Roadster/S/X/3/Y/batteries/SEMI/CyberTruck/Glass solar roof/storage/solar panels

Warning: Don't use my numbers, I may have made a mistake. You can do your own research (internet searches)

Seems, to me, most auto companies can easily spend $2-4 billion just on a model refresh.

What are you expecting to learn? That Tesla spends less on R&D than the big auto companies? That Tesla spends more on EV R&D than any big auto company? ...???

 

[vanzandtj]

When they brag about how much energy each cell holds, I want to know how their cooling works, and how much regenerative braking they can do on a hot day, and how quickly they can charge.