GM joins hands with SES to develop lithium metal batteries

Foreign media reported that General Motors announced that it has reached a cooperation with the global battery technology company Massachusetts Solid Energy (SES) to promote its battery development work. The two parties plan to build a production line in the SES plant and launch prototype batteries before 2023. The joint development agreement reached between the two parties will help GM reduce the weight of its vehicles, which is a key goal of GM in the development of electric vehicles. Kent Helfrich, executive director of GM's global electrification and battery systems, said that the cooperation can use smaller packaged batteries to obtain more energy, thereby making more room for other technologies in the car. At the same time, future vehicles based on Ultium battery packs will use the technology jointly developed by GM and SES. In the third quarter of this year, GM's GMC brand will launch an electric Hummer pickup, which will become the first model to use Ultium battery packs. GM said that by 2035, the cost of its Ultium battery pack will be 60% lower than the current battery pack, and the energy density can reach twice the current. GM announced the Ultium battery pack last year and regarded it as a key technology to cut battery costs and extend the range of electric vehicles. GM and LG New Energy are currently building a joint venture plant in Ohio to produce Ultium batteries, and the two parties are expected to build a second plant in Tennessee. Foreign media said that GM’s first-generation Ultium battery has not made major improvements to current battery technology, and this cooperation with SES indicates that GM’s next-generation Ultium battery will include lithium metal battery technology plans to improve Performance and energy density. General Motors invested in SES as early as 2015 and has maintained a close cooperative relationship ever since. As the earliest technology company targeting solid metal batteries, SES has been committed to the development and industrialization of lithium metal batteries. Lithium metal batteries use metal lithium as the negative electrode, which makes the energy density higher and the battery lighter. However, the uneven deposition and dissolution of metallic lithium lead to uneven formation of lithium dendrites and pores, which leads to safety issues. In response to the above-mentioned industry problems, SES has established a complete set of solutions, including lithium metal anode materials and high-concentration lithium salt electrolyte materials. At the same time, SES greatly reduces the safety problems caused by lithium dendrites through the combination of hardware (materials and cell design) and software (lithium metal battery management system). (Click to view: 'Pocket' lithium metal battery) In addition to solving the core technical bottleneck, SES has also made preparations before large-scale mass production. SES founder and CEO Hu Qichao once introduced to Gaogong Lithium that SES lithium metal batteries and modules have been used in drones, satellites and other fields. Next, they will consider supporting electric vehicles and electric flying vehicles. According to the plan, SES expects that in 2022 A sample (above 100Ah), 2023 B sample, by 2025 to achieve mass production SOP. Hu Qichao's thinking is that, on the one hand, SES must establish a complete ecosystem including materials, batteries, modules and packs, BMS, and recycling. On the other hand, seek global partners to jointly establish a GWh-level factory to reduce costs through large-scale production, so as to promote the industrial application of lithium metal batteries.