How GM is Driving Sustainable Battery Technology?
30 years ago, the battery industry was focused on consumer electronics, like powering handheld camcorders.
Today, General Motors (GM) is delivering full-size electric trucks with up to 492 miles of range.
The progress in lithium-ion battery technology has been remarkable - but the real transformation is just beginning.
GM is building better batteries and scaling US production, securing a resilient North American supply chain, alongside advancing technology to drive down costs and compete globally.
Scaling manufacturing through collaboration
Competing in the global battery technology race requires the ability to produce at scale and GM is doing just that.
Ultium Cells, GM’s joint venture with LG Energy Solution, is the largest OEM battery cell producer in North America, with quality and yield that rival the best in the world.
GM’s technology investments have helped it become the second biggest seller of electric vehicles in the US – with 2025 first-quarter EV sales up 94%.
The battery giant offers the industry’s most diverse EV portfolio, with a dozen models in the market.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my career, it’s that sustainable business is smart business,” says Cassandra Garber, Chief Sustainability Officer at GM.
“Reducing risk, seizing innovation and growth opportunity WHILE delivering real and meaningful impact is where it’s at. It’s hard, but when done, and done well, it’s transformative for both business and our world.
“Now I get the chance to help General Motors accelerate a zero-emissions future and drive circular-economy solutions that reduce costs and material waste. GM is helping advance the EV transition, adoption of renewable energy and much more. Thinking back to those days as a little girl walking the car lots with my family, this work truly feels like a dream!"
The joint venture with Samsung SDI, launching in Indiana in 2027, will allow GM to produce prismatic cells, an additional form factor that gives us the flexibility to deliver the right battery technology to further optimise for each vehicle and customer need.
Batteries are the heart of EVs and the materials that go into them matter.
GM is planning to go beyond cell production in the US and securing North American sources for lithium, manganese and nickel, as well as investing in localising production of cathodes, anodes, electrolytes and separators.
By 2028, GM plans to increase North American content in its battery supply chain eightfold.
American innovation
GM’s focus is to engineer the right battery for the right vehicle, optimising for performance, cost and range across its portfolio.
This includes expanding platforms to use prismatic cells, which reduces battery module components by 75% and total pack components by 50%.
This, combined with low-cost LFP (lithium iron phosphate) chemistry, will cut US$6,000 per pack in a Chevrolet Silverado EV – helping to deliver more range and value to more customers.
“Sustainability is not just good policy. It’s good business — good for the company, for employees and for recruiting and retaining the best people, people who will help us achieve our vision,” explains Mary Barra, Chair and CEO at GM.
“We’ve made tremendous strides through our investments and innovations in electric and autonomous technology and we’re going to expand our reach, especially with many important EV launches across a wide range of price points and segments this year.”
At the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center (BCIC), on GM’s campus in Michigan, development of advanced new, next-generation battery cell chemistries has begun – bridging the gap between energy density and cost.
The construction of the BCIC is set to allow GM to accelerate the path from lab, to giga-scale production – driving vehicle innovation and consumer choice.
GM spends about US$7 billion in the US on research and development each year, advancing American jobs, technological progress and manufacturing excellence.
By scaling battery innovation, localising production and supply chain and delivering more affordable EVs, GM is positioning itself and the US to compete on the global stage.
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