Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

GM partners with LG to create better electric cars

Jeffrey Van Camp
By
LG and General Motors team up for electric cars
Image used with permission by copyright holder

General Motors is teaming up with LG to develop electric cars that go beyond the capabilities of the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid gas and electric vehicle. LG Chem, a subsidiary of LG, supplies the lithium ion batteries that power the Volt and other GM electric prototypes. The new deal will go beyond just batteries. According to the joint announcement yesterday, LG will aid with key components related to vehicle structure, architecture, other automotive solutions. 

“Many solutions for tomorrow’s transportation needs may be available more quickly by building on our partnership strategy,” said GM Vice Chairman Steve Girsky. “Consumers benefit by getting the latest fuel-saving technology faster if we work with the best suppliers and we save time and money in the development process.”

Recommended Videos

With gas prices rising again and fuel economy standards rising to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, the idea of moving toward an electric solution is becoming more and more attractive to the big auto makers. Almost every major auto maker has an electric car in development, though the price of these vehicles remains high and their range remains at 100 miles to the charge. 

Related

“This is a strategic development for LG and we fully support GM’s goal to lead the industry in the electrification of the automobile,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Corp.

It is unknown whether this partnership will make any headway toward solving some of the major problems with electric cars, like the capacity of lithium ion batteries, their fast degradation rates, and the amount of time it takes to charge an electric vehicle, which is currently about eight hours for a full charge. Like all electronics, what the electric car really needs is a new type of battery technology to be invented that holds a much bigger charge for longer on a quicker charge. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard any news on that front yet. 

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jeffrey Van Camp
Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
Honda will use General Motors technology to build two electric cars
GM Ultium EV platform

Honda and General Motors are setting aside their differences to engineer electric vehicles together. Their announcement adds a bullet point to the growing list of alliances formed to offset the sky-high costs of developing battery technology.

The Japanese company will build two electric models on the Ultium platform its American partner introduced in March 2020. There's no word yet on what they'll look like, or what segment of the market they'll compete in. Anything is possible because the architecture -- the chassis, the battery pack, and the motor -- is being designed to be as modular as can be. It's not too far-fetched to assume at least one of the two EVs will be an SUV -- the segment is hugely popular right now, and it's going to get incredibly crowded in the early 2020s.

Read more
Lucid Air electric car completes 400-mile loop between San Francisco and L.A.
Lucid Air range test

Lucid Motors has said its upcoming Air electric car will have 400 miles of range, something even Tesla has not been able to achieve. The company claims to have hit that target in real-world conditions.

Lucid just released a video showing a prototype Air driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back -- covering 400 miles in each direction. The car drove each leg without charging, only plugging in during an overnight stop in L.A., according to Lucid. The trip took place in February, before California was put under a statewide shelter-in-place order in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read more
GM’s modular Ultium platform will be building block of its future electric cars
GM Ultium EV platform

With the Chevrolet Bolt EV, General Motors proved that it could make a good electric car. But GM has failed to capitalize on the Bolt EV -- until now.

GM just revealed Ultium, a package of mechanical components that will form the basis for a slew of upcoming electric cars. Ultium includes a basic vehicle platform, powertrain, and batteries, all designed to be modular in order to fit a wide variety of applications.

Read more