Latest news with #ChevySilveradoEV
Car and Driver
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
GM's New Battery Cells Could Make Future EV Trucks and SUVs More Affordable
Kurt Kelty, the vice president of propulsion and sustainability at General Motors, told us his goal is to see electric and gas-powered vehicles achieve price parity. To create a market where the Chevy Silverado EV is as affordable as a V-8-powered Silverado 1500 means erasing the $20K discrepancy between their current starting prices. Doing that will take time. It will also require new chemistry. But if anyone can do it, it's probably Kelty, who started his career in batteries over 30 years ago at Panasonic and eventually helped create the world's first Gigafactory during his 11 years at Tesla. Today, as part of an extended partnership with LG Energy Solution, GM announced it will produce a new battery cell that promises to lower the cost of production with a new lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) prismatic battery cell. It's a step to lower the price of electric vehicles. Let us explain. Manganese, Manganese, Manganese We'll use the Silverado EV as an example, as GM said these new LMR prismatic cells will first appear in electric pickups and full-size SUVs in 2028. The 2025 Silverado EV has a 205-kWh battery pack with 24 modules, each of which carries 24 pouch cells that contain a careful blend of lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, and aluminum (NMCA). Cobalt is the most expensive ingredient, with the cost of nickel not far behind, as it makes up the majority of the battery recipe. According to GM, the new LMR prismatic cells replace a substantial amount of pricey nickel with the more affordable manganese. Steve Fecht for General Motors Each LMR prismatic cell looks similar to an old Phillips DVD player. They weigh approximately six to 11 pounds and are significantly larger than the outgoing pouch cells. GM told us that these larger prismatic cells have 33 percent higher energy density than comparable lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) prismatic cells, which are currently used in the Tesla Model 3. The new format would also dramatically reduce the number of modules needed in a Silverado EV's battery pack from 24 to six. Element 25 Limited The reduction in nickel content comes at an interesting time, as companies such as Porsche have attributed the higher level of nickel in their nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery packs for 2025 Taycans to boost energy capacity, increase charging speed, and lower weight. Also, tariffs. Though GM assured us that the announcement of bolstering domestic battery production wasn't a reaction to President Trump's tariffs, as LMR R&D goes as far back as the same year former President Biden was elected. More recently, GM signed an agreement with Element 25 in 2023 to build a manganese sulfate facility in Louisiana to process manganese mined and transported from Australia, for which GM invested $85 million as a means to optimize its production chain of EVs. For now, GM's plan to incorporate these new LMR cells into future vehicles is part of a larger strategy to offer specific battery types for specific use cases. For example, using more affordable LFP cells in entry-level EVs that won't be burdened with the need for maximum range for towing, perhaps for the upcoming second-generation Chevy Bolt EV. NMCA cells are at the other end of that spectrum, for use in higher-cost vehicles that also require the most range, such as the Cadillac Escalade IQ. LMR fits between those extremes, as a balance of cost and range. That type of flexibility is likely paramount as GM is responsible for 10 of the 74 electric vehicles sold in the United States today. Practice Makes Perfect We toured the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center at GM's Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, where validation of the new cells will occur in 2027. While there, we saw each stage of the production process of these new LMR prismatic cells. There are several rooms for each step, which allows GM to fine-tune the process before mass production. In one bank of rooms, they perfect the mixing of materials for cathode and anode production. Another room pulls a sheet of aluminum some 0.5 nanometer thick, without tearing it from the spool, to create electrodes. In a building behind Wallace, while still under construction, the entire assembly line will be built to maximize efficiencies. General Motors Our favorite part of the field trip was during the tour of the nearby Estes Global Battery Systems Lab, where the hardcore chemistry happens. Stuff I don't even dare attempt to explain, as I'm not someone qualified to speak about cathode material synthesis, material surface modulation, or electrode characterization. The three rooms with those labels sound like classes I failed in college. Within one of these labs, among the electrolysis thing-ah-muh-whos and electrospinning how-do-ya-dos, sat a bright red toolbox with an Edelbrock sticker slapped on its sides—an unintentional metaphor for GM's ongoing evolution of propulsion. GM's 15-year joint venture with LG Energy Solution has produced over 100 million battery cells in its Ultium Cells plants in Warren, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee. GM wouldn't spill the beans about where their new LMR prismatic cells would be produced, but it did promise that future vehicles using these new LMR prismatic cells would be capable of the same uber-quick DC fast-charging speeds and existing 100,000-mile battery warranty offered today. Austin Irwin Technical Editor Austin Irwin has worked for Car and Driver for over 10 years in various roles. He's steadily worked his way from an entry-level data entry position into driving vehicles for photography and video, and is now reviewing and testing cars. What will he do next? Who knows, but he better be fast.
CNBC
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- CNBC
Bezos-backed Slate Auto unveils affordable EV truck
Slate Auto, a firm backed in part by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is unveiling a low-cost electric truck that can also change into an SUV. Its starting price point: $20,000 after federal EV incentives. "A radically simple electric pickup truck that can change into whatever you need it to be — even an SUV," the Slate Auto website says. "Made in the USA at a price that's actually affordable (no really, for real)." The two-door version can be changed into a 5-seat SUV. The baseline truck is small: About two-thirds the size of a Chevy Silverado EV and about seven-eights the size of a Ford Maverick. It has a payload capacity of 1,400 pounds compared the Maverick's 1500 pounds. At less than 15 feet long, Slate says its more akin to a 1985 Toyota pickup. Its smaller and less gaudy stature are by design: TechCrunch refers to the Slate as an "anti-Tesla," and while both the Slate Truck and the Cybertruck are customizable, the starting Slate model is stripped down to essential elements, including no power windows or infotainment screen. The specs show a maximum range of 150 miles on a single charge, with the option for a longer-range battery pack that could offer up to 240 miles. The vehicles are designed in California and Michigan, engineered in Michigan, and assembled somewhere in the Midwest, according to Slate's website. TechCrunch reported the plant is in Indiana. Earlier this month, TechCrunch broke the news that Bezos, along with the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mark Walter; and a third investor, Thomas Tull, had helped Slate raise $111 million for the project. A document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission listed Melinda Lewison, the head of Bezos' family office, as a Slate Auto director. The vehicles aren't expected to be delivered to customers until late 2026, but can be reserved for a refundable $50 fee.
NBC News
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- NBC News
Bezos-backed Slate Auto unveils affordable EV truck
Slate Auto, a firm backed in part by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is unveiling a low-cost electric truck that can also change into an SUV. Its starting price point: $20,000 after federal EV incentives. "A radically simple electric pickup truck that can change into whatever you need it to be — even an SUV," the Slate Auto website says. "Made in the USA at a price that's actually affordable (no really, for real)." The two-door version can be changed into a 5-seat SUV. The baseline truck is small: About two-thirds the size of a Chevy Silverado EV and about seven-eights the size of a Ford Maverick. It has a payload capacity of 1,400 pounds compared the Maverick's 1500 pounds. At less than 15 feet long, Slate says its more akin to a 1985 Toyota pickup. Its smaller and less gaudy stature are by design: TechCrunch refers to the Slate as an "anti-Tesla," and while both the Slate Truck and the Cybertruck are customizable, the starting Slate model is stripped down to essential elements, including no power windows or infotainment screen. The specs show a maximum range of 150 miles on a single charge, with the option for a longer-range battery pack that could offer up to 240 miles. The vehicles are designed in California and Michigan, engineered in Michigan, and assembled somewhere in the Midwest, according to Slate's website. TechCrunch reported the plant is in Indiana. Earlier this month, TechCrunch broke the news that Bezos, along with the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mark Walter; and a third investor, Thomas Tull, had helped Slate raise $111 million for the project. A document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission listed Melinda Lewison, the head of Bezos' family office, as a Slate Auto director. The vehicles aren't expected to be delivered to customers until late 2026, but can be reserved for a refundable $50 fee.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
2025 Polestar 3 Sheds 1 Motor, Gains Range—but It's Still Expensive
2025 Polestar 3 is now available as a 'Long Range Single Motor' variant that lops off the front motor, reducing output and weight and cutting the sticker price while extending range to an EPA-estimated 350 miles. Our well-equipped single-motor test vehicle carried a $76,700 sticker price with 21-inch Plus five-spoke rims ($1,200) and repurposed aluminum inside. There are generous incentives on a 27-month lease for a Polestar 3: Save up to $20,000, including $5,000 as a conquest bonus for Tesla owners. What's the appropriate threshold that needs crossing before an automaker can claim 'long range' for its battery-electric vehicle? These days, it seems to be about 300 miles, although shoppers—especially those on the fence about EVs—will appreciate the day that target exceeds 450 miles, if possible, without a punishing step up in price. I just drove a 2025 Chevy Silverado EV work truck rated at 492 miles, and in a week I couldn't get close to draining the battery, even while towing a 20-foot camper for a morning. The Lucid Air Grand Touring offers an eye-opening 512 miles of range. But a Grand Touring is a six-figure investment, and that Silverado stickered for over $80k. The challenge for every EV maker is to hit that 300-mile target while pricing close to the $48,000 average price for a new car in America. Polestar has surpassed the range target with its Polestar 3, although its price continues to reflect an upstart Swedish brand (Chinese owned) that wants a seat at the performance luxury table, even while entrenched German brands with long-established luxury roots struggle to sell the EVs they already have in market. The two-row Polestar 3 midsize crossover achieved 315 miles of range when it launched in the US last fall with two motors—one in front, one in back—and a stout 489 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque. But it also carried a base price of $74,800 with destination, and our model as tested last September was a hard-to-swallow $93,100. The 2025 Polestar 3 is now available as a 'Long Range Single Motor' variant that lops off the front motor, reducing output and weight and—most importantly—cutting the sticker price while extending range to an EPA-estimated 350 miles. The base price cut to $68,900 with destination certainly helps, but is it enough when rivals such as the Acura ZDX, Audi Q6 e-tron, Cadillac Lyriq, Genesis GV60, Lexus RZ, and Mercedes-Benz EQB all sell for less? Heck, the RZ can be had for under $45,000. This quandary perhaps explains the generous incentives currently on a 27-month lease for a Polestar 3: Save up to $20,000, including Polestar's $15,000 Clean Vehicle Incentive plus $5,000 as a Conquest Bonus for Tesla owners. The Polestar 3 build configurator says the $5,000 Tesla offer expires today, March 31, so act fast. The Polestar 3 is built in South Carolina (for export as well), so it's eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit—as long as that lasts—and potentially avoids a tariff hit. But take a closer look at the build sheet for this new long-range Polestar 3, and you see that 45% of the content comes from China, 25% from Mexico, and powertrain/transmission parts come from Sweden. Tariffs are bound to cost you something, but we don't yet know how much. That build sheet also reveals a $76,700 sticker price for this well-equipped single-motor test vehicle with 21-inch Plus five-spoke rims ($1,200) and repurposed aluminum inside, along with charcoal 'Animal Welfare Wool' upholstery. On road, this new long-range Polestar 3 is more than competent, agile, and powerful, with one motor sending 295 hp and 361 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. The front end is lighter, which makes for spirited driving on the weaving roads of Agoura Hills west of Los Angeles and then south to Malibu. These roads were a lot more entertaining than the congested two-lanes around Jackson, Wyoming, for last September's drive of the 510-hp AWD dual-motor Polestar 3, so it's hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison. But at no point did I find the new single-motor variant to be lacking in performance or straining to propel its curb weight of up to 5,445 pounds uphill. That's 338 pounds lighter than the heaviest dual-motor Polestar 3. On paper, the compromise is clear: 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds with the dual-motor, but 7.5 seconds with one motor. Both versions get the same 400-volt lithium-ion battery with 111 kWh of capacity. Another difference between the two—and an opportunity to take out more cost—is the passive dampers with coil springs in place of the adjustable active air suspension employed in the dual-motor Polestar 3. Again, in Wyoming, the air suspension didn't get much of a workout in our dual-motor test drive, but the less sophisticated passive setup in the single-motor Polestar 3 mitigated body lean and kept it well planted on some fantastic roads last week. Torque vectoring is only available with AWD, but the single-motor model did just fine without it. Inside, the look, feel and Scandinavian design ethic of the dual-motor version carry over to the single-motor, and the Google-based infotainment platform running a massive 14.5-inch floating center screen will be user-friendly enough to certain shoppers. But if you crave simple controls and despise drilling into menus to reposition your mirrors, change a radio station, adjust one-pedal driving, tweak your driver-assistance settings, or open the glovebox, then bring your patience when you come for the test drive. When navigating the touchscreen, be deliberate with an accusatory finger when jabbing it to make your selection, lest the frustration take hold. There might be a setting to change that, and perhaps we needed to drill deeper. Also, the same complaint stands from last September about the steering wheel controls that are unlabeled. The left side is for Pilot Assist ADAS settings (which didn't work for me), while the right side is for voice activation, adjusting mirrors and the steering wheel angle, and switching the information displayed in the nine-inch digital cluster in front of the driver. Apparently Scandinavian minimalism can indeed go too far. Polestar has a three-car all-electric lineup that will gain a fourth model (Polestar 5 grand tourer) before year's end and then the Polestar 7 crossover after that. But based on the brand selling fewer than 100 Polestar 3s (with one or two motors) in the first two months of 2025 in the US, moving the metal is the number one priority. Does a lower price and longer range for the Polestar 3 make it more attractive to you as an upscale electric crossover? Please comment below.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Chevy Blazer EV SS Makes 615 HP, 10% More Than Originally Promised
Over the last few years, we've seen a steady stream of General Motors's formerly-known-as-Ultium-platform EVs slowly but surely reaching the market. In some cases, like the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS, there's been a significant delay between the initial reveal and the actual on-sale date. But in the case of the electric performance crossover, its arrival in dealerships is coming with the best kind of surprise an enthusiast could ask for. That's because it seems Chevrolet was sandbagging its initial power figures when discussing the Blazer EV SS. Previous specification sheets had the mid-size crossover EV endowed with 557 hp and 648 lb-ft of torque, but it seems Chevy's engineering team has found an extra 58 hp between final development and the vehicle's launch: GM's official power ratings for the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS are now 615 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. This actually isn't the first time that Chevrolet has made adjustments to the power levels of the Blazer EV SS. While those initial figures of 557 hp and 648 lb-ft of torque were set in 2022, Chevy revised these numbers last year to 595 hp and 645 lb-ft, before boosting them this year. The new 2025 figures match up with the 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V and the upcoming Cadillac Vistiq, leveling the playing field among the medium-sized EV SUVs It's likely this on-paper performance jump will only be available in "Wide Open Watts," the cutely-acronymed launch control offered on GM's performance EVs that provides a temporary boost in power. Many of Chevrolet's current EVs products, such as the Chevy Silverado EV, also offer this mode, though day-to-day power figures come in below from the peak numbers quoted for W.O.W. mode. The result of this power: the Chevy Blazer EV SS can sprint from 0-60 mph in a claimed 3.4 seconds. That's on par with a 2010 Audi R8 V10 or a Dodge Charger Hellcat, making the boxy EV crossover the quickest brick on this side of Paul Newman's V-8 Volvo. Top speed is significantly down compared to any gasoline-powered competitors, however, as the Blazer EV SS hits its Vmax at 111 mph. Chevrolet's website is now live with the 2025 Blazer EV configurator, so feel free to go build your own trim level of choice. Base model Blazer EVs start at $45,995, but springing for the SS model will run you at least $61,995. If you're looking for outright horsepower, however, that's a pretty good dollar-to-pony ratio. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
